Hi all,

I'm pregnant with my first child, and I have a medical condition that will probably cause a few issues along the way. I live in the NT and I'm guessing my best bet is to book in with POWH, as they're better equipped to deal with complicated cases than a private hospital.

But I gather from this forum that public system prenatal care is 'bare essentials' only, and I'd like to have all the screening and prenatal visits that are recommended in my home country. So, can anyone recommend an obstetrician in the NT who will coordinate with POWH and fill in whatever blanks they leave? It would be great if the obstetrician had practice midwives too, so that I could see them instead when I just need a check-up for BP/urine/doppler/size/position.

Also, my husband and I really want to be able to share this experience together, and I get the impression this won't be possible at POWH, because he'll be booted out when anything complicated happens (which will probably be the case). Can I get around this by booking in as a private patient at POWH? If so, how do I do this, what does it cost, and which obstetrician would you recommend from POWH?

And, does anyone know if POWH lets you keep your baby with you by your bed all the time, and breast feed on demand?

Finally, if it turns out POWH is really going to take the specialness and joy out of the whole thing, which private hospital is the best equipped to deal with complications, and which obstetrician would you recommend?

Thanks a million!