Choosing a midwife comes down to deciding what kind of care you want first, then comparing on the things that genuinely differ between practices: qualifications, fees and rebates, the areas she covers, her availability and how you reach her. It is not a test you can fail and there is no ranking to consult. You are working out whether this is someone you want in your home in the first weeks with your baby, and one conversation usually settles it. What follows is what to think about beforehand, so that conversation is the useful one rather than the one where you forget everything you meant to ask.
Key Takeaways
- Looking, contacting and choosing are three separate steps. Doing the first two early commits you to nothing.
- Work out what you are comparing them for before you compare them. It makes the shortlist obvious.
- Check registration and endorsement yourself on the AHPRA register. It takes a minute.
- The question families most often skip is the one about cover. Put it early, not after something goes wrong.
- Watch how money is discussed. Straight answers about fees usually mean straight answers about everything else.
When to start choosing a midwife
There is no single right moment, but there is a pattern worth avoiding: leaving it until the week you need someone, then ringing around while exhausted.
Private midwives run their own practices and manage their own diaries. There is no central waiting list, so availability is specific to each midwife and to the weeks you need her. Asking early tells you where she stands, which is useful even if you are undecided.
Postnatal support is the part families most often leave late. The Medicare rebate window for home visits is time-limited and starts running the day your baby is born, and those early weeks are exactly when arranging anything is hardest. Making contact while you are still pregnant means the support is ready when your baby arrives.
Start with what you actually want
Choosing a midwife is much easier once you know what you are comparing them for. It helps to be clear about:
- Whether you want care at home, at a clinic, or both.
- Whether you want one named midwife throughout, or are comfortable seeing whoever is available.
- What you most want help with: feeding, your own recovery, settling and sleep, or simply reassurance.
- How much you can spend, and whether a Medicare rebate applies to you.
If seeing the same person each time matters to you, say so early, because services use the word “continuity” to mean quite different things. Our article on what continuity of midwifery care means pulls the phrase apart.
Qualifications, and what they actually mean
Every midwife in Australia holds national registration, and the register is public, so you can look anyone up before you go further.
Endorsement sits on top of that registration, widening her scope of practice and opening the door to Medicare rebates. Every EverNurture midwife holds it. Our article on what an endorsed midwife is sets out what it covers.
Years of experience are worth asking about, but they are not a ranking. Fifteen years in hospital high-risk care and fifteen years of community postnatal work are both deep experience, of completely different things. Ask which kind.
The practical questions
These four sort out most of it:
- Am I eligible for a Medicare rebate, and what is your visit fee?
- How is the rebate claimed, and when is it paid?
- Which areas do you visit?
- When are you available, and how far ahead do you book?
Fees and rebates differ between practices, which is why EverNurture does not quote one price for all four midwives. See Medicare rebates and fees for the part that is common to them.
Questions about the care itself
- What does a visit usually include?
- How long does a visit take, and how many might I need?
- Do you support feeding, whichever way I am feeding?
- What do you do if something needs another health professional?
An endorsed midwife has more than advice available to her, so it is fair to ask how she uses that, and who else she would bring in if you needed them.
Four introductions in one place, each linking to that midwife’s own website, so you can compare them in a single sitting.
Communication, and what happens if she is unavailable
This is the set families most often skip and later wish they had asked:
- How do I contact you between visits, and how quickly do you usually reply?
- What are your hours, and what should I do outside them?
- Are there days or periods when you are not available?
- Who would I contact if I could not reach you?
A private midwife usually has no roster behind her, so her answers are the ones that apply to you and nobody else’s. Every practice handles it differently, which is why guessing is a poor substitute for asking. She will not mind the question.
Ask about the fallback too. Booked visits are planned care, so anything urgent belongs with emergency services or your hospital, and it helps to know that before you need it rather than at two in the morning. Our resources page lists free helplines, including the after-hours ones.
The one that is not a question
The last part of choosing a midwife is not a question at all. Notice how the conversation feels. Whether you are rushed. Whether a question about cost is met plainly. Whether you would be comfortable ringing her at eleven at night to ask something you think is silly. That instinct is doing real work, and it is worth trusting.
You are allowed to change your mind
Each EverNurture midwife works independently, so if you start with one and later feel another suits your family better, you are free to contact her. It is worth telling both, so nothing about your care is missed.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many midwives should I talk to?
Two or three is plenty. Beyond that the differences stop being useful and the decision gets harder rather than clearer. If the first conversation feels right and the practical answers stack up, that is a perfectly good reason to stop looking.
Can I book a midwife and still give birth in hospital?
Yes. Private postnatal care is separate from where and how you give birth, and booking a midwife for the weeks afterwards changes nothing about your hospital booking or your antenatal appointments.
What if I live outside the area she usually visits?
Ask her rather than assuming. Each midwife sets the areas she travels to, and they differ between practices, so a suburb that is out of the way for one may be routine for another. Where a collective lists several midwives, it is worth asking each of them.
Do I have to pick a midwife before I get in touch?
No. You can describe what you are after in one enquiry and let the answer come back to you, which is often easier when you are still working out what kind of support you want.
Conclusion
Most of choosing a midwife happens before you dial anything: working out where you want to be seen, whether one familiar face matters to you, and what you most want a hand with.
After that it is a short list of practical questions and one conversation. Give yourself enough time to have that conversation properly, and the decision usually makes itself.
No booking desk in between. Every number and email is in one place, so you can ring or email her yourself.