PREGNANCY

antenatal and postpartum care

We love babies at Central Wagga Medical and Skin Clinic! As a holistic and family friendly practice, we can offer you complete and continuous care from preconception counselling, pregnancy (antenatal) care and after-delivery (postpartum) care. It is then our pleasure to care for your baby with regular baby checks and vaccinations.

It is such a privilege and delight to care for a woman and her unborn baby during her pregnancy and then get to meet that beautiful little bundle in person after delivery.

We love our baby cuddles and selfies!

USEFUL RESOURCES

www.pregnancybirthbaby.org.au
A great, Australian resource that tells you all you need to know at each stage of your pregnancy, and then ongoing help for newborn and baby care.

Mothersafe – Call 1800 647 848 to speak to registered midwife and child health nurses. MotherSafe provides a comprehensive counselling service for women and their healthcare providers concerned about exposures during pregnancy and breastfeeding. In particular, prescription and over the counter medications.

www.breastfeeding.asn.au
The Australian Breastfeeding Association offers breastfeeding classes, local groups and a comprehensive website with discussion forums.

www.gethealthynsw.com.au/program/get-healthy-in-pregnancy
A government sponsored service to help pregnant women achieve optimal nutrition and exercise. Being as fit and active during your pregnancy as possible, will help you have a stress and complication free delivery.

www.panda.org.au
Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Australia supports women, men and families across Australia affected by anxiety and depression during pregnancy and in the first year of parenthood. 

+ What are my options for pregnancy care?

Our doctors offer shared antenatal care with the Wagga Wagga Base Hospital.  They also helps to teach other local doctors how to care for women and babies during this time.

Further information of shared care with WWBH can be found here

The following website has excellent preganancy and birth information that is tailored to an Australian audience: www.pregnancybirthbaby.org.au

We are fortunate in Wagga Wagga to have many great pregnancy care options on offer.  You can choose to be referred to a Private Obstetrican, see your GP for antenatal care (known as shared antenatal care) or attend the midwifery clinic at Wagga Base Hospital.  Our doctors will discuss all the options with you and help you make an informed decision that is right for you.

+ What is shared care?

Shared care is just as it sounds. We look after your pregnancy care in conjunction with the doctors and midwives at Wagga Base Hospital.

The majority of your visits are with us, there are some at the hospital and when you go into labour, the midwives will help deliver your baby. 

If required, there is an obstetric doctor and paediatric doctor on call or on site. In the majority of cases, a midwife is the best person to help deliver your baby.

+ What can I expect from my antenatal appointment?

This varies depending on how many weeks you are. We catch up on how you are going and address any concerns or symptoms you are having and answer any questions that have popped up since our last visit.

We take your blood pressure, examine your abdomen, take measurements, and see how the baby is lying. We also use a device called a doppler to listen to the babies heart beat.

Routinely weighing patients and performing urine testing is no longer a recommendation during antenatal care. There may occasionally be instances when we need to do this, however it is not the norm.

+ What costs are invovled?

As a privately billing practice, we charge a fee for our antenatal visits and a pregnancy management fee. Medicare rebates apply. Please ask out reception staff about medicare billings, the Medicare safety net.  There is no charge for your visits to the hospital.

Antenatal visit

 $98 ($45.65 rebate)

Pregnancy Management Fee(charged at your 28 week appointment)

 $250 ($138.15) rebate)

+ What happens after my delivery?

One of the great joys for us as family doctors, is being able to continue caring for you and your baby after the delivery. Preparing to deliver a baby is like planning for a wedding - we get all hyped up for the big day, but the real hard work starts after the honeymoon!

We routinely see you at 6 weeks post delivery, where you should book an appointment for yourself and your baby (this also includes vaccination and a thorough baby check). 

If you have any concerns once you leave the hospital, please call and we will arrange to see you earlier.