My choice is right for me
Health insurance and choices
Who you choose to care for you during your pregnancy and where you decide to labour, give birth and spend your early postnatal days with your newborn baby will very much depend on your own personal preferences. However, many other factors can play a large role in your decision-making.
These can include:
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Where you live and the services you have readily available to you. Women living in cities and metropolitan areas usually have a wide range of options to choose from. Whereas women living in rural and remote areas (or some overseas countries) often find that their choices are limited and/or they have to travel very long distances for their preferred care. |
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Who your preferred caregiver is (or health service providers). This may also depend on their availability when your baby is due and how early they 'book up'. You may also need to consider whether they will attend your preferred birthplace. For example, many obstetricians have one (or a few) hospitals they attend, usually located relatively close to each other so they can travel more easily between them to attend births. Most obstetricians will not deliver babies at home and only a few choose to attend their women in birth centres. |
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If you have private health insurance and whether you choose to use it for having your baby. Some women will personally pay for their own private caregiver and/or hospital accommodation if uninsured. |
Your preferences and choices for pregnancy care and birth are also generally governed by your overall health and the 'normality' of your pregnancy's progress. For example, if you are well and healthy you may choose to have only midwifery care and give birth in a birth centre or at home, but if you have a known health condition (such as