Pregnancy and Post-natal Support

Pregnancy and post-natal support options are designed for families wanting some additional physical and emotional support through their pregnancy and/or early postnatal period. With this model of care, your have a primary care provider (hospital clinic, GP, midwife, obstetrician) who does the majority of your clinical pregnancy care and you receive additional pregnancy care and support from Emily.

You are welcome to tailor this to suit your individual needs and can have as many or as little appointments as required. Feel free to send me a message to discuss what you are hoping for and whether this type of support is right for you. Below is Emily’s recommended schedule of appointments for someone wanting comprehensive care that complements their primary care model.

 Please note: this model is not intended to replace your primary care, it is designed to complement it.

Recommended timing of appointments

Initial meet and greet in early pregnancy - anytime from 8-22 weeks

This a get-to-know-you appointment, giving you the opportunity to meet me, ask any questions and decide whether I am the right fit to support you in your pregnancy, birth and post-natal period. We will also touch base on birth education to help you decide what option may be the right fit for you and your support person. I recommend your partner/support person be in attendance for this appointment as it is important that we all feel comfortable with each other and confirm that we are happy to continue with the established plan for care. This appointment can take place in your home or a local café if you prefer.

Antenatal visit at 26-28 weeks

At this appointment we will have a long discussion about your pregnancy, any previous labour and birth experiences, what your hopes are for this labour and birth and talk through any questions you have about your pregnancy care. We can tailor this appointment to cover any specific areas of education you would like to go over, upcoming tests, check in on your emotional and psychological wellbeing and go over valuable resources and allied health care options to support you in your pregnancy and birth. This appointment also provides the opportunity establish your plans for how you would like to feed your baby, and go over some basic breastfeeding education if required.

Antenatal visit at 32-34 weeks

At this appointment we will start birth planning by firstly establishing and discussing your wishes for your birth, encourage you to envision what your ‘perfect’ birth looks like and then begin the process of writing a formal birth plan/birth preferences. We will go over any relevant education you may need to assist you in making informed decisions about your care, share resources as well as discuss ways in which you can optimise your chances of achieving the birth you desire. We can cover your pain relief options, talk about different paths your birth may take and how you can navigate this and determine what steps you may like to put into place to help give you the best chance to achieve the birth you hope for.

Antenatal visit at 36 weeks

This appointment offers the opportunity to go over your written birth plan, discuss logistics and plan for labour and birth care. Ideally this appointment takes place in your home, particularly if you are wanting early labour support at home, so that I can become familiar with the location and the layout of your house. At this appointment we will also go over and continue to plan for your breastfeeding journey and the immediate post-partum period/fourth trimester.

Please note: If you are planning to have labour and birth support, this appointment will likely be done by your backup midwife, so you have the opportunity to meet and get to know them a little better and so they have a good understanding of your labour, birth and post-natal wishes.

Post-natal visit in the first week

At this appointment we will check in on your physical and emotional wellbeing and how you are adjusting to life with a newborn. We can go over breastfeeding, sleep and settling, care of a newborn and discuss any challenges you are experiencing.

Post-natal visit in the second week

At this appointment we will again check in on your physical and emotional wellbeing and how you are adjusting to life with a newborn. We can go over any challenges you are experiencing, concerns you may have, see how feeding is going and cover any resources that may be useful going forward. Usually at this time you have been discharged from the hospital and your local maternal and health centre will have taken over you and your babies care.

Postnatal visit at 4-6 weeks

This visit gives you an opportunity to discuss and debrief your birth experience, ask any questions you may have about your labour and birth and plan for ongoing physical recovery.

You will receive ongoing, on-call post-natal support in the first 6-8 weeks should you need it. Additional post-natal visits are available if required.