Private care from an Obstetrician and Midwife Team
A new service for women
Traditional models of Private Obstetric care in Brisbane have centred around the Obstetrician providing all of the antenatal visits and overseeing the woman’s labour and being present for the birth and ongoing postnatal care until discharge from hospital. For many women this model works well and the continuity provided meets their needs, however for some women inclusion of a know midwife in the antenatal period who is also then involved in the labour and birth process in addition to the obstetrician and will be able to provide postnatal followup visits at home after discharge is an appealing option. I am now in a position to be able to offer this experience to my pregnant patients with experienced midwives who already provide care in this way and are keen to provide this level of continuity to my patients and their partners.
In this model the first visit is with me at around 10 weeks and at that visit we will discuss the planned frequency of visits with each of us during the pregnancy. For the midwifery visits, they may be at my rooms or at your home. Your named midwife will additionally provide antenatal education as part of those visits with you and be your first point of call for queries and in early labour. Once in labour, she will care for you in the birthing suite and liaise with me about your situation and we will both be present for the birth of your baby. If there is a need for operative intervention, she will accompany you to the operating theatre and continue to provide postnatal care and assistance with breastfeeding until your transfer to the postnatal ward. Following your baby’s birth you will be reviewed daily until discharge and she will then arrange post natal visits with you at home to review how you are recovering and assist with any breastfeeding difficulties you may experience.
While this model will not suit all women, it does provide a level of continuity with both a midwife and an obstetrician which is not currently available to the majority of women undergoing private maternity care in Brisbane. I will be happy to discuss this in more detail at your first antenatal visit if this is of interest to you.