I had my second baby right as we went into covid restrictions and lockdowns in Melbourne in mid-2020. So it was a strange, stressful and unpredictable time to go through pregnancy and labour. I was relieved and fortunate to be able to have my partner and student midwife attend the birth (as I gather this was not the case at all hospitals). At times during my maternity care and my hospital admission after the birth it felt like communication processes between the care providers (eg different clinicians in the hospital) and with me were not always clear or consistent and I sometimes felt confused, not listened to or that I received mixed messages. I do believe this was compounded by the situation at the time (covid) and healthcare workers were operating in such difficult and ever changing circumstances. I was discouraged from coming to hospital and this meant I was quite far along in labour when I was admitted - this was stressful and physically difficult and ultimately led to me having to stay longer in hospital which isn’t what I wanted. Once I reached the birthing suite however I was supported by a wonderful midwife and had a relatively straightforward and positive birth experience. Going through RWH I had reasonable confidence in the service and it’s expertise but as mentioned the downside was having lots of different individuals involved in my care and the challenges that brought for communication and consistency. Having a regular trusted GP and support of a student midwife helped counteract some of this. I am using the same care pathway for my current third pregnancy.