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Are you coming over here pregnant or planning to be pregnant? Big difference!

The reason I ask is:  YOU must find yourself a gyne or midwife, compared to the UK for example where the practice provides you with a midwife and when you get to hospital, it's whomever on duty that delivers.

Here - the midwife you choose will be the one who delivers your baby. It allows you to build a rapport and like them! I arrived nearly 6 mths pregnant and didn't understand the system (was in denial we were having another as our twins were 1 & it was craaaazy!!!!). I think it took a month to settle in, find playgroups for the boys and work out where in Akl we were going to live - major deciding factor in choosing the midwife! Anyway, all of those that I rang we're full and I started to panic! My GP was chosen as she ozone of the few in Akl that still deliver babies!!

Gyne's you pay for. I think it's when you expect a more complicated birth. Lots of twin mums pay or ivf. I think a few friends said it cost in the region of $6,000 kiwi$. But I've no idea if that was a cheap or expensive one! All midwives have gyne's and hospitals too.

The options for giving birth are: home; a birthing centre - pain relief is gas and air nothing that involves an epidural etc. there's no surgical teams its very local and sounded like a hotel!! Or hospital and so everything's on standby.

St. John's ambulances you must pay for. It cost us $70 to get to hospital (not pregnancy related). Or you can join, make a one off fee and then I think you're awarded a couple of ambulance rides as part of the membership. Handy if you have littlies!

Plunket offer ante-natal courses and so do the hospitals. After bubba is born, you stay with your midwife for 6wks and then you have the option of being part of Plunket. I would - it'll help you integrate here and understand the system and the support is utterly amazing. I work part time for Plunket now. For example they set up a coffee group for new mums so at about 8-12 weeks you attend a session with all the mums who have had baby's in your area in the last month. It's a big kiwi tradition to forge friends in coffee groups and after the coffee groups stop meeting officially- then usually girls carry on meeting at people's houses!

Good luck

hey thanx 4 the info shared but icant ask 4 epidural? y?

A birthing centre doesn't give them. Hospitals only