Choosing your care provider
Your choice of care provider — between midwife, obstetrician, GP, or other care provider, and place of birth — hospital, home, birth centre — are two of the most important decisions you will make in your pregnancy. It can set the trajectory for not only your emotional but your physical health through pregnancy, labour and birth, and into postpartum.
The good news is you have lots of choices available to you. It’s not just a case of public or private, insurance or no insurance. We want you to choose your care provider once you know all of the options available to you, and what the evidence says about the experiences and outcomes with each model.
Spoiler alert — the evidence is clear, continuity of care in pregnancy is important.
What are your choices of care provider?
standard public care
caseload/MGP midwifery care
team midwifery care
shared care
private midwife
private obstetrician
+/- doula support
What are your choices of place of birth?
hospital — public hospital or private hospital
birth centre — public or private
homebirth
For more information about what’s involved in each of these choices, and links to evidence on the outcomes of each, check out our care provider page, and episodes 2 and 3 of the birthchoices podcast, where talk about the choices available to you, and with Dr Hazel Keedle about what the evidence says about women’s experiences of those models of care.
For a personalised discussion about what model of care may best suit your and your family’s values and goals, and be available in your area, book in for a mini or maxi birth choices appointment.
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disclaimer
birthchoices, through this website, our service offerings and our podcast, aims to share stories and collate information to assist you in navigating your pregnancy and birth and in discussing these choices with your chosen pregnancy care provider. The information and resources provided are informational and educational in nature and does not constitute medical or midwifery advice and shall not be construed as constituting or replacing medical or midwifery advice.
We at birthchoices encourage you to make your own care decisions based on your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. The information provided is general in nature and we expressly recommend that you seek advice from your midwife or doctor who knows your individual circumstances in determining your approach to your pregnancy and birth.
While we have worked hard to ensure that the information we provide is accurate and based on reliable and up to date evidence, we do not warrant or guarantee the accuracy of this information. Our website and podcast are intended to complement, and never to substitute, your midwifery or medical clinical care.
Neither we at birthchoices or any of our guests shall be held liable or responsible for any loss, damage or unfavourable outcomes arising out of the use or reliance on our content and/or your failure to seek appropriate medical, midwifery or health advice from a relevant licensed health care professional who is familiar with your individual circumstances.
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