Maternity Services in Sydney, Australia

[Lisyloo725]

Hi ladies
I’ve done a bit of Googling, but can’t seem to find how maternity services (thru Medicare) work in Oz.
I’m moving over there end of July/mid August and baby is due mid October so I won’t have much time to figure this out.
Any advice is appreciated x

I guess it depends on which visa you’ll be on

I think, from memory, you get a referral from a gp to the maternity services at the hospital.

It's very straight forward.
You have reciprocal healthcare as you come from the uk.
Go to a gp
They will refer you to the hospital midwife clinic.
From there they will manage your care.
It's very easy.
I had my first baby on reciprocal healthcare.
No different to the other three when I had full Medicare.
Fantastic service. Everything that needed to be done was.,
I have private cover but I wouldn't use it for having a baby. I can certainly say that it's the one thing best left to the public sector

Hi there
We are going on a 482 visa @DownUdderer
It is temporary.
We are aiming to get there as soon as possible - so that there’s as much time before the birth as poss to get it sorted - but it sounds straightforward- thank you @alongwaydown

I had a baby in Sydney. Agree with everything @alongwaydown said

Medicare will cover everything except your ultrasounds and prescriptions.

Thanks v m!

Yep, agree with the above. I had my babies privately in Sydney and the only advantages were that I could pick my obstetrician, had very minimal waiting for appointments and had a private en suite room for my birth, with an anaesthetist on call for my epidural.
I had a fairly high risk pregnancy and birth though as I had gestational diabetes but everyone I know who has gone through Medicare has has a perfectly fine experience. Nearly everyone I know has had a private room after the birth and stayed in hospital for a few days after the birth.
Good luck!

I don’t think private medical would cover you anyway at this stage as I think you have to be signed up for a year before that kicks in. Reciprocal is great - you might have to go to the centerlink office to get some sort of Medicare card (that’s a bit painful as you often have to queue)

Blood tests and ultrasounds have to be paid for and you can shop around to get the best price - they’re often in office blocks rather than hospitals.

Some GPs are free (no gap I think is the term?) and some you pay $25 an appointment (or you pay $75 and they refunds $50 the next day - something like that). But - You can get same day doctors appointments! You can specify the time and the doctor you want to see!

It’s more of a shared program overall between the GP and the hospital midwife team but I guess by that stage you will be more with the hospital team.

After the birth you could ask to be put into an early childhood centre group with other local mums who have given birth that month - they run a few sessions and then often the group continues to meet. It could be a way to meet a few new people.

Thanks @Ozgirl75 and @ChakaDakotaRegina
The queuing sounds fun 7/8 months preg! Haha!
I think it will be fine tho - thanks for all the reassurance eon this thread!

The mums group sounds lovely!! I’m leaving all my mum friends here in London - so need a new tribe! ☺️

Mums groups are fab! I’m still friends with mine and my eldest is 11. There are so many things to do with children here - sign up or pick up a copy of a magazine called “Child” and it has adverts for all the various baby groups. There’s also playgroups all over the place, kindergym, mums and baby exercise classes, music classes, Sydney is a really brilliant place to raise a family.

Oh great @Ozgirl75 - that sounds like what I need to hear as things start to get close!!
The mag sounds super!