Information about Antenatal Care

There are three common approaches to hospital-based antenatal care available for pregnant patients in Ireland:

• Public antenatal clinics
  
• Semi-private antenatal clinics
  
• Private consultant-led obstetric care

Public

Public antenatal clinics are available for all pregnant women in Ireland. These clinics are booked directly with the maternity hospital chosen by the patient or on the advice of their General Practitioner. Patients are seen for an initial visit at the hospital, during which a range of blood tests are obtained and the patient’s history and physical examination findings are reviewed for any signs of high risk pregnancy. An initial ultrasound scan is usually scheduled to establish how far along the pregnancy is and to confirm an accurate due date. Some hospitals also provide another ultrasound scan at about 20 weeks’ pregnancy to confirm the health of the baby. Subsequent visits are often shared between the antenatal clinic in the hospital and the patient’s General Practitioner. When the time for delivery of the baby arrives, the maternity hospital midwife working at that time usually delivers the baby, and the postnatal stay is usually in a public ward. Patients generally are not charged fees for any public services. For details on how to book into a public antenatal clinic, the maternity hospital should be contacted directly (see locations).

Semi-private

Semi-private antenatal care is also available in most Irish maternity hospitals. The main difference between public and semi-private care is that patients are usually seen by one of a group of registrars or consultant obstetricians for most of their antenatal visits at the maternity hospital. Similar blood tests and an initial dating ultrasound scan are provided, as with public antenatal care. Some hospitals also provide another ultrasound scan at about 20 weeks’ pregnancy to confirm the health of the baby. When the time for delivery of the baby arrives, the maternity hospital midwife working at that time usually delivers the baby. The postnatal stay is often in a semi-private room or private room, depending on whether private insurance, such as VHI or BUPA, is held. A reduced fee is charged by the hospital for providing this degree of medical attention. For details on how to book into a semi-private antenatal clinic, the maternity hospital should be contacted directly (see locations).

Private

Private obstetric care differs significantly from public and semi-private care in that patients are seen for all visits by a specific consultant obstetrician, and the delivery is under the immediate supervision of that consultant. As well as the usual initial blood tests and dating ultrasound scan, further ultrasound scans are usually performed at subsequent antenatal visits, often including a detailed ultrasound scan at about 20 weeks’ pregnancy to confirm the baby’s health and late in pregnancy to confirm the baby’s growth. Because the same consultant is responsible for all aspects of obstetric care, patient’s generally have more options for individualising their care and expressing their own personal choices at delivery. Postnatal stay is generally in a private room, when available and depending on whether private insurance, such as VHI or BUPA, is held. Fees for private antenatal care are arranged directly between each consultant and their private patients. To obtain further information on how to book a private obstetric consultation, please see Contact Details or Locations.