Birth care options: What’s right for you?

Even before they enter the world, your baby is already teaching you that you can’t control everything. Pregnancy and birth can be unpredictable, no matter how much you plan ahead.

What you can control, though, is the care you receive when you’re pregnant and in labour, and the environment where you give birth.

While some expecting parents prioritise cutting-edge medical care, others may find hospitals too clinical, preferring the comfort of a familiar space.

Whatever your preference, it’s essential to ensure you’re informed about where you give birth and empowered to make the right decisions for you and your baby. Here, we explore 4 different options to help you in your birthing journey.

Having a baby in a private hospital can provide 2 key benefits: consistency of care and privacy (you will often have your own room in a private hospital).

Going private also means you can choose an obstetrician to oversee your pregnancy and delivery. In a public hospital, on the other hand, you see the midwife or obstetrician assigned to you at each visit.

For Suzy West, a mother of 2, the ability to have more control over her choices led to private hospital births.

“It wasn’t even a decision for me,” says Suzy. “I’ve always had private health cover so I could go to private hospitals. I wanted my choice of doctor and my own room and bathroom, if possible.”

If you’re considering giving birth as a private patient, you need to hold your private health cover (including pregnancy cover) for 12 months before the delivery. It’s also important to speak to your health insurer before you go to hospital, so you know whether to expect any out-of-pocket costs.

You should also ask your doctor for an informed financial consent form before you go to hospital. This allows you to consent to any potential fees.

You can give birth in a public hospital as a private patient or public patient.

If you have private health insurance, you can be admitted to a public hospital as a private patient, depending on your level of cover. This means you may have a more personalised service and, oftentimes, be able to choose your doctor plus receive a private room (if available).

After 2 public hospital births, Bupa member Rebel Wylie opted for private care in a public hospital when she had her third child.

To give birth as a private patient in a public hospital, you need to hold your private health cover (that includes at least restricted cover for pregnancy) for 12 months before giving birth. Before opting for private care, always ask your doctor and your health fund about any out-of-pocket costs.

If you’re giving birth as a public patient, your GP will usually refer you to your nearest public hospital. You will need to book in with the hospital’s antenatal clinic, where you will be cared for by doctors and midwives.

Those with a low-risk pregnancy usually have antenatal care in the hospital’s midwives’ clinic. Midwives are qualified health professionals who provide care and support from pregnancy through to postnatal care and beyond. They can help you choose which method of birth is right for you, and will refer you to a doctor if any complications arise.

An alternative to a hospital, a birthing centre might suit someone who prefers a less-clinical environment.

Birthing centres are usually led by midwives and often housed in separate areas of a hospital. You must be admitted to the hospital associated with the centre to allow you to receive care there. This means you may need appropriate hospital insurance cover if it’s a private facility.

Birthing centre rooms usually have a double bed, private bathroom and space to move around while you’re in labour. Some birthing centres also offer water births.

Birthing centres provide minimal medical intervention, and only those expected to have low-risk births are encouraged to use them. If you will want or need major pain relief, such as an epidural, a birthing centre may not be the best option for you.

If you experience any complications during labour, a midwife may arrange for you to be transferred to hospital.

Birthing centres are not suitable for those with a higher risk of complications. This includes people with heart or kidney disease, diabetes, high blood pressure or a history of complicated births.

If you’re healthy and expect to have a low-risk pregnancy, you may prefer to give birth in the comfort of your own home.

Some public hospitals offer home birth services. Alternatively, you can hire your own registered midwife.

Because you won’t have immediate access to the specialised care of a hospital, there are risks associated with home births. It’s important to talk to your doctor or midwife about scenarios where something goes wrong and you need to be transferred to a hospital. You need to know how long it would take to get to hospital, and how you would be transported.

Pain relief is also a consideration, as you can’t access an epidural at home.

Home births aren’t an option for everyone. Your doctor or midwife may recommend that you give birth in a hospital, particularly if you’re having twins, your baby is in the breech position, or you’ve had a caesarean delivery in the past.

Wherever you choose to give birth, it’s important to remember that every pregnancy is different. It’s essential to make sure you’re aware of your options, along with the risks and benefits of each.