Full Continuity of Care
"Supporting women and families through the journey of pregnancy, birth and postpartum is such an honour. To see these women supported, empowered, strong and confident in their birth space is what Midwifery is all about". Whether you are wanting a home or hospital birth Teena can support your individual needs.
photo credit; Natural focus birth photography
Pregnancy
Private midwife pregnancy support offers continuous, one-on-one care from early pregnancy through birth and postpartum, with a strong emphasis on individual preferences and holistic support.
At the beginning of your care, Teena will meet you to talk about your history, your birth plan and what you would like for your pregnancy and birth journey.
As a private midwife, Teena is accredited by Ahpra, the health regulatory body, to provide private midwifery and homebirth services and can also order any pathology or ultrasounds required in pregnancy as well as midwifery relevant prescriptions. This means in most circumstances Teena can provide all of your antenatal care without needing to see another care provider.
Private midwifery appointments are usually one hour in duration which allows a full checkup of you and baby as well as answering any questions you may have. These appointments also allow building of relationships, developing trust, discussions on research, recommendations of further reading or listening, which is aimed at families feeling confident, empowered and supported on their journey. Teena provides holistic care and can recommend other services when required such as women’s health physiotherapy, chiropractic care, mental health support, homeopathy, naturopathy and acupuncture services.
Whether you are planning a homebirth or hospital birth Teena will support you all the way.
Labour and Birth
Whether you choose to have a homebirth or birth in a hospital, having a private midwife means you will be supported in every aspect of your birth. Continuity with your midwife means that you are supported and honored in your birth space, with a trusted familiar care provider, who knows you and your family and the best way to support you to achieve the birth you are dreaming of. If labour and birth deviate from this, having that continuous support that provides evidence-based information and time and space for you to make your own choices, can facilitate a positive experience.
Teena is on call 24hrs a day 7 days a week for labour and birth (and pregnancy and postpartum emergencies). She carries a full birth kit of supplies, always on the ready to attend birth. This includes support items like peanut ball, TENS machine, heat packs, aromatherapy, birth combs, as well as regular antenatal equipment to check mum and baby’s welfare. If birthing at home a birth pool can also be provided. Teena is also trained in acuneedling to assist optimal fetal positioning where required. Emergency equipment including medications, oxygen and suction, intravenous fluids and suturing equipment are also at hand. Should the need arise, Teena will transfer to hospital with you, continuing to support you to the birth of your baby.
After birth, Teena will provide a quiet supportive environment and offer assistance where required for placental birth and breastfeeding. After several hours when the family are either tucked up in bed or assisted into the car home (from a hospital birth) Teena will head home to leave you in your love bubble. Ready to come back in several hours to check in again and commence postpartum care.
Teena also provides all the necessary paperwork for birth registration, government payments and Medicare registration.
Postnatal care
Following the birth of your baby Teena will focus on supporting you through recovery from birth, the establishment of breastfeeding and chat and debrief your labour and birth. Ongoing information, education and support is provided so you may feel confident in caring for your baby and yourself and adjusting to parenthood. This will be done over daily visits for 4 days, then a visit at week 1, week 2, week 4 and up to 6 weeks as needed when we say goodbye, to confident happy parents
Whilst this is a guide for scheduled visits postnatally, Teena is available for any concerns that may arise during this period and can attend extra visits if required. We offer vitamin K, Newborn Screening Test, monitoring for jaundice, ongoing checks of weight and referral for the baby's hearing test.
As Teena is a qualified Lactation Consultant, she can also continue care as needed for any feeding issues or questions that pop up during and after your 6-week scheduled visits.
