9/27/2019 2 Comments Birth Options in PerthWhen you first visit your GP to confirm your pregnancy, they may ask if you have private health insurance and refer you based on this information, but there ARE other birthing options available to consider, each with their own individual differences. It is essential to look at all your options to try to achieve your desired birth outcome. Before choosing your place of birth or our provider, take a moment to think “what does my ideal birth look like?”. Once you have that image, lets explore who and where can provide that to you. If you were to plan a vintage bathroom makeover, would you pick the builder that has no or little experience in vintage bathrooms but does great modern kitchens? We need to place the same importance on finding our ideal birth teams.
Midwife lead care Midwife lead care is an excellent care model for low risk pregnancy. It is associated with lower instrumental delivery, lower c-section rates and higher rates of spontaneous full term labour. Having a midwife allows for continuity of care by having the one midwife, or a small group of midwives, to attend to your care. Your midwife lead care options in Perth are: Midwife Group Practice (King Edward and Armadale). Publicly funded. Community Midwife Program (homebirths or selected hospitals- King Edward, including Birth Centre, Fiona Stanley, Kalamunda & Armadale.) Publicly funded. Independent or Private Midwife- homebirths, King Edward. Private homebirth midwifes are usually equipped or trained for more diverse birth variations than CMP. Private billing but part rebate from Medicare. Obstetrician Obstetrician’s, or OB’s, are trained surgeons and trained in high risk pregnancy. When an OB takes on the care for a low risk pregnancy, they have a higher rate of intervention than their public or midwife counterparts. They are the only care providers that can perform a caesarean section should it be required. GP Shared care Care plan including tests and check ups are performed by the GP then transferred to hospital care in later stages of pregnancy. This is a good option for remote locations where hospital access is limited or if you have a great preexisting relationship with your GP. Not all GP’s are able to provide this service. Private Hospital You may choose to go to these hospitals without health insurance and pay the full cost. It is worth noting that even with insurance, there may be out of pocket costs dependent on your policy. Private hospitals boast that the experience is like a hotel with good food, nice linen and private rooms. Private hospital care has higher intervention and c-section rates. Past rates are available online (see page 46 on the below link) Current SJOG rates are posted monthly on their Facebook pages. https://ww2.health.wa.gov.au/~/media/Files/Corporate/Reports%20and%20publications/Perinatal%20infant%20and%20maternal/WA_Mothers_Babies_2015.pdf Our Private Hospitals in Perth are: Joondalup Private- bath for labour only Glengarry Private St John of God (SJOG)- Midland, Mt Lawley, Subiaco, Murdoch – bath for labour only Public Hospital Public does not mean a lower standard of care. Private rooms for laboring and birth are usually the hospitals preference. Staff in attendance will be who is on duty at the time. Our Public Hospital’s in Perth are dependent on postcode: Armadale – water birth options if an appropriately trained midwife is on duty at the time Bentley King Edward Main Hospital- 2 baths available for laboring only. Family’s can bring their own birth pool if this is approved by their own consult team. King Edward Family Birth Centre- Waterbirth available Fiona Stanley- water birth options if an appropriately trained midwife is on duty at the time Osborne Park- bath for labour only Joondalup Rockingham Midland Birth Centre King Edward Family Birth Centre Located outside of King Edward Hospital with a connecting tunnel into the hospital should a transfer be required. A birth center is run on Midwife lead care and care is provided by one assigned midwife. There is a Low risk medical requirement. It offers a Home style environment where the birth partner can stay in your own private room. Water birth option in one external suite with additional blow up pools available. Falls under the Public health system so there is no cost to parents. Discharge after 4hours (dependent on circumstances). Catchment area does not apply but does require to register early due to popularity. 4 suits and 1 inbuild birth pool. Fiona Stanley Located inside the main hospital on the same ward as other birthing suites. 3 birth suites, 2 with inbuild pools. Low risk medical requirement. The rooms have modern equipment including positioning blocks, however it currently holds a high transfer rate. Home birth Home birth, as the name suggests, takes place in the birthing persons home. Care is provided by one midwife, either through the CMP or an independent. This birth options allows the birthing person to be in an environment that is most familiar and comfortable to them. Statistically home births are safe options, with countries who have high home birth rates, also having lower c-section rates. A relationship is usually made with a nearby hospital should the want or need arise. A full list of Independent Midwives in Perth can be found at my blog post HERE Freebirth Freebirth is when a birthing person intentionally makes the decision to birth without any medical person present. This absence of care may be limited to the birth or may extend to pregnancy and prenatal care. This option allows for all decisions to be made by the birthing person. While it is possibly the lesser known about or taken option, there are still some local and international support groups and podcasts on the topic. Doula A doula will assist with your emotional support and continuity of care through pregnancy, labour and postpartum. They are a great addition to any care model or environment. Doulas are able to assist in all of your birth options and locations, however, some doulas may have preferences to work with specific birth teams or settings. Some hospitals or OBs may express that they “do not work with doulas”, however it is your right to have support persons of your choosing, and medical professionals that will work with your birth plan or requests. All of these care options will allow you to take a tour or meet with the person before committing to that care model. You can find hospital tour information on individual websites.
2 Comments
|
Archives
October 2023
CategoriesAll Birth Options Birth Partners Birth Positions Birth Stories Building Your Birth Team Independent Midwives My Pregnancy |