We're having a baby

Hello, little one.

Forty weeks, two weeks at a time. What's happening with baby, what Laura might be feeling, and the little jobs to tick off along the way.

Right now

Week by week

Eating for two

Good food, safe food.

Most of the "avoid" list is about a few bugs (listeria, salmonella, toxoplasma) and mercury. Freshly cooked and eaten hot is almost always fine.

Eat & enjoy

The good stuff for you and bub

Best avoided

Skip these until baby's here

200mg

Caffeine a day, max

About 1–2 espressos, 3 instant coffees or 4 cups of tea. No energy drinks or double shots.

0

Alcohol

There's no known safe amount in pregnancy. Kombucha, kefir and ginger beer have a little too.

2–3

Serves of fish a week

Low-mercury fish like salmon, sardines and tuna, cooked. Shark (flake), swordfish and marlin: 150g a fortnight, max.

400 + 150

Folic acid & iodine (mcg)

A daily pregnancy supplement with at least 400mcg folic acid and 150mcg iodine. Ask the GP which one.

Where we'll meet baby

Private or public?

Both are safe, good options in Australia. It mostly comes down to who you want looking after you, what you're happy to spend, and how you'd like the experience to feel.

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We have private health — check these first

Being insured doesn't automatically mean the birth is covered. Ring the fund and ask:

  • Does our hospital cover include pregnancy & birth? It's usually only on Gold-tier hospital policies.
  • Will we have served the 12-month waiting period by the date Laura is admitted? If baby comes even a few days before it ends, the birth isn't covered.
  • What's our excess, and which hospitals and obstetricians have "no gap" or known-gap deals with the fund?
Private

Your own obstetrician

You choose an obstetrician who sees you through pregnancy and (usually) delivers baby at the private hospital they work from.

The nice bits

  • The same doctor the whole way through — someone who knows your story
  • Usually a private room, and often Grant can stay overnight
  • Nicer food, quieter wards and often a longer stay after the birth
  • Choice of which obstetrician and hospital

Worth knowing

  • Bigger out-of-pocket costs, mostly the obstetrician's fee
  • Your obstetrician might not be on call the day baby arrives
  • Higher rates of interventions (like inductions and caesareans) on average
  • If baby needs intensive care, you might be transferred to a public hospital
  • Popular obstetricians book out early — get in quick
~$1,250 – $4,550+Typical obstetrician management fee out of pocket, plus around $400–$500 for the birth and your hospital excess. Scans, bloods, the anaesthetist and paediatrician can add more.
Public

Midwives & the hospital team

Care through your local public hospital — with midwives, hospital doctors, or shared with your GP. Covered by Medicare.

The nice bits

  • Little to no out-of-pocket cost
  • Big public hospitals have the best set-ups for complications and sick babies (NICU)
  • Midwifery continuity programs (a known midwife or small team) — lovely if you can get in
  • Lower rates of interventions on average

Worth knowing

  • You may meet different midwives and doctors at each visit and at the birth
  • Shared rooms are common, and partners often can't stay overnight
  • Shorter stays after the birth
  • Less choice over who is in the room; junior doctors may attend first
  • Midwife programs fill fast — ask to be put down early
~$0 – a few hundredHospital care is free. You may pay for some scans, pathology, a non-bulk-billing GP (if doing shared care) and birth classes.
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The in-between: private patient in a public hospital

Some public hospitals let you use your private cover. You get public-hospital safety nets (like NICU on site), sometimes a better chance at a private room, and little or no gap. You won't usually get to choose your own obstetrician, though some hospitals have private obstetricians who deliver there. Worth asking the hospital and the fund.

Questions for the health fund

Ticks are saved on this device.

Questions for an obstetrician or hospital

Bring these to the first appointment or tour.

Reading, listening, watching

Things to learn.

Hand-picked books, podcasts, channels, websites and apps. Aussie ones are marked so you know the advice fits here.