Preparing for your first appointment 

Finding out you are pregnant is a very exciting time, as soon as you test positive you can contact my rooms to gather all the information you need to become a patient of mine.  I have a limit to the number of patients I can look after at any one time, so it is best to make contact early,  even if your appointment won’t be for a few weeks.

When you book in for your appointment you will be sent a pregnancy care package that contains some paperwork that we will need completed.  This will also contain all of the information you will need to understand your pregnancy care plan, along with information about fees, etc.

You should think about what important questions you would like to ask, and what concerns you have, and make a list of them in your phone so you don’t forget them.

To be eligible for a Medicare rebate for your care, you will need a referral from a doctor.  If you don’t have one, you can still book in, but you will need to see your doctor to get one before your first appointment.

Initial appointment

You can expect your first visit to take up to 45 minutes. At this visit I will ask for general medical and specific pregnancy information and perform a physical examination. This usually involves checking your blood pressure, heart, lungs and thyroid and feeling your tummy. You will also be offered a breast exam and a pap smear if these are due. I will also perform an ultrasound to check your baby's heart beat and measure it's size. Finally, we discuss plans for your pregnancy and answer any questions you have, as well as organising any tests required.  

Your antenatal appointments

Prior to 28 weeks gestation, routine antenatal visits are approximately every 4 weeks. After 24 weeks this increases to 2 – 3 weekly until 36 weeks. After 36 weeks visits are usually weekly.  The frequency of visits may vary depending on your individual circumstances and you may need to be seen more often if your pregnancy is complicated. I will discuss this with you if this is likely to be the case. Of course, partners and support people are welcome at these visits. 

Scans performed in my rooms

I will scan your baby at your antenatal appointments to perform important developmental checks. If baby is in a good spot you will be lucky enough to have a 4D scan which is a photo like image allowing you to see exactly what baby looks like.

All of my midwives are qualified to scan you to check your babies health. If you are ever feeling anxious and would like to have a scan and hear the heart beat my administration staff will organise this for you. There are no extra fees for this, we want to make sure you are always reassured, and you are welcome in the rooms as often as needs be.

Some scans are not done in my rooms. Formal assessments of baby's anatomy and development, done at 13 and 21 weeks along with some 3rd trimester assessments of placental function are performed in specialist obstetric ultrasound practices. The need for these will be determined by your particular circumstances. 

Midwife Visits

Like me, the midwives are always available to you. You can come and visit them if need be at any stage during your pregnancy to discuss any issues that may come up. 

You can also chat with them over the phone if you need advice or reassurance. Remember if you have any questions during pregnancy or after your baby is born, the midwives are here to help you, give sound advice and provide a link between you and any resources that you could possibly need. 

On top of the above you will have 5 scheduled visits.

• Midwife – beginning of your 2nd Trimester  
  This visit is all about the information. It covers a general introduction to all of us here in the practice and specifically talks about the role that the midwives play.  We discuss and acknowledge how you are physically and emotionally managing being pregnancy and go over “what to expect”. If you have birthed before this also gives us an opportunity to debrief about your previous experience and chat about how we can best support you this time around. 

• Midwife Visit – early in the 3rd trimester
  This appointment gives the opportunity for discussion about birth. Whether it be around how to manage labour or what to expect with an elective caesarean section or induction. This is a perfect opportunity to start thinking about your birth plan so that when the time comes you and your support crew are ready. This is also a time to work and plan with your families for the pending birth and few weeks after birth. Our role is this planning appointment is to offer practical advice and resources for you.

• Midwife Visit – Feeding your Baby – late in the 3rd trimester 
  We will take some time in this appointment to discuss your choices around feeding. For our breast feeding mothers we talk about colostrum harvesting, otherwise known as antenatal expressing. If you are not planning on breast feeding we will provide you with all the knowledge you need to make sure your new born is fed, happy and healthy. 

  This is also a time to talk over life with a newborn, whether this is your first or subsequent baby. 

• Ward Visit – A smiling familiar face
  Once your baby has arrived, we will be there on the ward post-delivery to check on you and to check on your baby. This is a great time to debrief with us, ask any questions and get help and support as needed from the team. We can discuss our physiotherapists and lactation consultants if you need them and help with any questions you may have no matter how big or small.

• Home Visit – That’s right we are coming home with you !! (well not really but we will visit you)
  Approximately 1 week after you have been discharged from hospital, one of us will come and visit you in your home. This appointment is similar to the ward visit, we will spend some time with you and check on yours and your baby’s health post-delivery.

Pregnancy Physiotherapy

Pregnancy and childbirth can have a wide range of impacts on women’s bodies, regardless of whether a vaginal or caesarean birth is planned. This is why I have included physiotherapy within my practice. Anne and Laura from Hatch Physiotherapy believe in proactive, evidence based physiotherapy to avoid preventable birth injuries and optimise recovery postpartum. Therefore we have physiotherapists on the team to help in my goal of providing comprehensive, evidence-based health care to pregnant women and new mums. 

You don’t need to be in pain or uncomfortable during your pregnancy. When and if those uncomfortable times come, it’s an amazing relief to have a physio who can help you.
Physiotherapy prior to conception, during pregnancy and postpartum can 

• Reduce pregnancy complications
• Manage Musculo-skeletal conditions including back and pelvic pain, and sciatica
• Prevent / improve bladder leakage
• Strengthen the pelvic floor
• Reduce perineal trauma (tears)
• Safe movement following caesarean section
• Optimise recovery post birth
• Regain core strength post birth

I recommend engaging  Hatch Physiotherapy early in your 2nd trimester to help optimise pelvic floor function and avoid preventable pelvic floor dysfunction such as bladder leakage. Up to 60% of women incorrectly engage their pelvic floor muscles which is why having an individual assessment early on in pregnancy is so important. 

For information about Hatch please follow this link. https://www.hatchphysiotherapy.com.au/  To book an appointment simply contact my rooms. 

Lactation Consultant Visits

If your choice is to breast feed your baby, this can be both rewarding and challenging. From my experience working with women, so much money is invested antenatally on preparing for birth, taking classes, talking to everyone about their experience, reading books etc., yet when it comes to breastfeeding, we just assume it will come naturally. But that’s very rarely the case. 

Studies show that the more educated and supported we are, the more positive our breastfeeding experience will be so let’s normalise getting support and educating ourselves, together. 

In today’s society everyone’s breastfeeding journey can look different. There is so much outdated information out there, everyone seems to have an opinion (whether you asked for it or not) and life is busier than ever. I am here to support you in your journey, no matter what that looks like for you. 

Whether you are pregnant, newly breastfeeding, and just have a few questions, or feel completely lost and need an individual plan to get you back on track, we are here to help you. 
There are many options for breast feeding support, please contact the administration team to book an appointment of for further information 

Bronze package  

• Mumu Breast Milk Collector
• Silverrettes
• 1 Antenatal Visit
• 1 Post Natal Visit
• 30 min face time follow up (1 week later)
• 5 days post visit SMS support

Silver package (only available after a post-natal initial visit)

• Follow Up Post Natal Visit
• 30 min face time follow up
• 5 days post visit SMS support

Gold Package 

• Mumu Breast Milk Collector
• Silverrettes
• 1 Antenatal Visit
• Weekly Post Natal Visits for 6 weeks
• 30 min face time follow up (1 week later)
• 5 days post visit SMS support

Singular - "one off" appointments are also welcomed. 

Comprehensive Post Natal Care

After reading through the stages of ‘What to Expect’ you should have already come to the conclusion that you will be very much supported throughout this journey by myself and my experienced team. After your birth, when you go home from hospital, we are committed to comprehensive post-natal care for you and your baby.

My midwives are accessible in this period of time to visit you on the ward, spend time with you at home and for you to come into our rooms for Physio therapy and Breast Feeding Support. 

I am also available for your physical care after the birth and you will see me again at approximately 6 weeks after being discharged from hospital for some final check-ups. 

One of our favourite times is your final visit at 6 weeks post-delivery. The whole team can meet your baby together and, most importantly, hang a photo of the little one in our hall of fame, where thousands of baby photos are proudly displayed in the clinic.