<blockquote rel="bellecaye_18">Hi! I just gave birth last Sep 30 here in Melbourne. We're holders of PR visa and we got here in AU mid of January... So, we've only been here for 8.5 months when I gave birth.
I didn't pay a single centavo for the check-ups, tests (i.e. blood test, glucose, etc), ultrasound and delivery / hospital stay... We just used Medicare for everything. I was under shared cared... Meaning I was seeing a GP in the community health centre and an OB in the the hopital (Mercy Hospital for Women which is a first-class public hospital).
As for the pregnancy vitamins like Vitamin D and multivitamins, I purchased it from the Chemist.
For the benefits, I'm entitled to claim Baby Bonus which does not have residency requirement. 🙂</blockquote>
Hi @bellecaye_18! I am in the same boat as you were in. Pregnant now with our second now, started conceiving on our 5th-6th month here in Brisbane. We landed Australia March 2012. Bilis natin no? I can attest to what you said, there is no need to spend much here, everything is covered by Medicare. The little things I spend for is additional cost of special ultrasound and vitamins. Congrats on your new baby!