Private OBs vs Public System

[LovetheChaos]

Not sure if this is true for everyone but I have noticed that all my friends who have gone private care for their pregnancies seem to have a much higher instance of intervention

They seem to have heaps more scans, tests etc

I have a friend at the moment who is pregnant with her first bub, looks fantastic, now her OB is sending her for 'correct' size scanning because he has told her he doesn't think bubs will fit out, and that it is why she looks so big, she is a small person so obviously with a baby in there the belly will poke out more as apposed to a taller person!!!

I have had all mine public and although the last two ended in emergency c/s I have never had as many tests as people that i have known who have private obs.

No real point to this but just wondering if anyone has had experience with both or if they have noticed the same as what I have!

[zeeeb]

i don't know why, it seems that the OB's are more interested in the finer details, because it's their specialty, they are "OB"sessed (lol) with everything pregnancy / baby / birth.

where the public system just does the standard scans, and if there is no major issue, they don't make it an issue. the public systems seems to me to see pregnancy as a normal part of healthy life, not an illness or a perfected art form.

i went public and i didn't have any of these dating things or fundal height measurements or anything. i just went in there, they checked everything in about 5 minutes and i was out again. i see pregnancy as a normal healthy part of life, so i don't want to spend hours on end wasting resources to satisfy my curiosity. if everything is proceding normally. i'd rather someone else who needs those services more than me to use them.

[Ellzie]

It could be partially because people who are in a higher risk category choose to have an OB - that's why I have one. It is because of my history that I'm having more tests/scans so it might appear that it is because of my OB. With my first pregnancy I also saw the same OB (who was also my FS) and had less scans because there was no reason to have them. I'm sure it was the same as going through the public system but seeing one person consistently. My OB doesn't seem to offer or request tests that he doesn't think are absolutely necessary - I'm usually the one requesting them to be on the safe side.

[oipic]

Yep, I believe there's a higher rate of intervention which in a lot of cases leads to c/s in private hospitals. I'll probably have to go find the research on that now I've said it won't I? Oh sorry that's another thread i'm thinking of.

Your poor friend having big baby syndrome. I had that too.

Tell her that her body won't make a baby too big for her to birth. If she has any concerns about being able to birth she should do some research on pelvises. Normally pelvises are only too small if you have a disease called ricketts or a whopper of baby due to uncontrolled gest diabetes.

[xMaryx]

I agree. You have to remember that just like any business, Obs have referall deals going with other businesses (scans, other doctors etc). I had a paediatrician turn up after both my kids were born, just to check them over, when they both had great agpar scores and seemed fine. Kaching, $250 for 3 minutes work. I then noticed the paeds room 7 doors down from my obs room.

[SalSam]

Statistically private care means a higher likelihood of intervention yes.

A lot of obs are now offering a 30ish week scan 32-34 to check size, fluid etc. It is not neccessary but just something that they are doing. Maybe your friend was having one of these? Some people who don't mind paying for all of these scans are just happy to have another look see at their bubba.

[SalSam]

Originally Posted by xMaryx

I agree. You have to remember that just like any business, Obs have referall deals going with other businesses (scans, other doctors etc). I had a paediatrician turn up after both my kids were born, just to check them over, when they both had great agpar scores and seemed fine. Kaching, $250 for 3 minutes work. I then noticed the paeds room 7 doors down from my obs room.

didn'y you tell the paed to take a hike with DD2? I told you it was not needed and not what every ob does. Just the ones with the deals

[akkiandmalli]

i went public for both mine with two different outcomes...
i chose shared care with my loal doctor for both so little intervntion through pregnancy which was great... DD was emerg C/s and Ds was VBAC with forceps.
my care was amazing and i i think the most i payed was for one scan each at 20 weeks because i couldnt get in at the hospital
i wouldnt pay the money for a private ob IMHO it is a waste of money

[xMaryx]

Originally Posted by SalSam

didn'y you tell the paed to take a hike with DD2? I told you it was not needed and not what every ob does. Just the ones with the deals

No, the ob said that there was a "possible click" in dd2's hip. Yeah, right there was. The paed felt it and said "feels fine to me" Kaching! Missed the tongue the idiot. That's why I didn't pay the bill for over a year

[xMelx]

I agree with Ellzie regarding high-risk patients choosing OB's...and personally, any chance I get to have a peek at bub's via a scan...I will take it!!!

Having said that, my OB has a low-intervention, 'natural' approach to birth and will only intervene if she believes necessary...she fought me through 13hrs of posterior labour AGAINST an epidural...on the other hand, a good friend of mine went private through a newish hospital in Sydney and was apparently 'offered' an epidural before the syntocinin (sp?) drip was even turned on!!! OMG!!!!!! AND, she took it, half an hour later, she ended up having a c/sec cause bub's was in distress and my friend was unable to move around to relieve the pressure...well that is what she tells me now anyway.

So I guess what I am saying is that there are good and bad OB's, middy's, GPs whatever it is...hopefully most of us manage to pick out the good ones!