# Having a baby in Australia.



## surfbum99 (Feb 19, 2008)

Hi there,

We have been living in Brisbane for 6 months now and my wife is 5 weeks pregnant. We're worried about the costs as we're going the public system at the Royal Brisbane Hospital.

How much would it actually cost? She has already had one Doctors appointment $100 - 63 (Medicare) = $37.
She has been told she needs to see the Doctors at least every month until she gives birth ~$37 X 9 = $333

1. Then a blood test. $ ?
2. Then 1st scan $ ?
3. Then 2nd which is private $ ?


4. Then giving birth, gas and air $ ?
5. Then could be epidural $?
6. Being admitted, staying for 1-3 days ? $ ?
7. Anything else $?

Appears to be a nightmare to me. And the sneeky Medicare only have their Safenet set at $1111.

What roughly would be the total?

All I get of medicare, is "well it depends on the hospital"


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## anj1976 (Apr 24, 2008)

hi

congratulations, i cant really help, but have u checked the forum for the same? i do remember the cost of delivery being discussed long back..


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## interplanetjanet (Jan 7, 2009)

I just went through all this.

The only costs will be your appointments and scans. You don't have to pay anything for hospital costs, epidural, etc. You will have more than 9 appointments, because there are visits every two weeks in the 2nd trimester and, depending on your situation and your particular midwife/obstetrics clinic, perhaps even every week in the 3rd trimester. You'll have at least one scan at 20 weeks and maybe also at 12 weeks. For me, these were around $200 each, of which I was reimbursed just over half (for the first, I'd fortunately hit the safety net by the second).

Most blood tests are fully reimbursed by Medicare. If I recall correctly, the only one that isn't is the glucose test, and I'm not sure if they do that if you're a young parent or if that's only for us oldies.

I think it depends on your particular situation, but my safety net limit was only around $500.


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