Anyone can use a delivery suite to have their baby because they are set up with the equipment, expertise and back up facilities to cater for women having a normal labour and birth as well as women (and babies) with health concerns and complications. Delivery suites can be called many names in Australia including 'labour wards', 'labour rooms', 'birthing suites' or 'birth rooms' and are by far the most common birthplace.
In 1999, about 97.5% of births happened in a public or private delivery suite in Australia. However, this high number is expected when other birthplace choices are very limited (there are only a few birth centres available and homebirth is not funded through Medicare or most private insurers). When comparing this to other countries we are probably quite comparable to the USA, but in the UK about 85% of women use delivery suites (or 'Consultant Units') and in Sweden where the homebirth rate is about 30%, only about 70% of women use delivery suites.
Room and equipment. Both public and private delivery suites provide a labour room with a single labour bed. Some beds are electronic to enable them to change their height and move the back of them up or down. This may help with moving around and changing position. They may also be equipped with 'rollbars' that fit over the bed, for the woman to hang onto or lean on if you want to try and squat for the birth. (However, in our experience this is a useless piece of equipment designed by a man who has never given birth!)
Other delivery suites have beds at fixed heights (usually quite high) which may be more difficult to get on and off when in labour making changing position more of an effort. If this is the case, you may want to ask for the use of mats and beanbags (if they have them) to help you get into comfortable positions more easily. Occasionally, a delivery suite will have one or two 'birth rooms'.