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Child Birth

Posted By Molcd33

"Child Birth"

About: Kalgoorlie Health Campus / Maternity Ward

(as the patient),

I live in Kalgoorlie and recently had a baby. Due to the limited model of care and lack of water birth options at the hospital I chose to have my baby at a Family Birth Centre in Perth. My birth was incredible and I’m so happy with the choices I made however it was very expensive for me to travel to each appointment with my assigned midwife in Perth and to stay in the city for over a month in anticipation of labour, I would much rather have had that experience here in Kalgoorlie. If Kalgoorlie hospital had the option of water birth I would be willing to stay in my home town for my next birth.

My experience with an MGP midwife as a model of care was unmatched and I think it’s a great shame we don’t have that in our town. I would strongly encourage the hospital to provide an MGP program and water births. My birth was intervention free, no medication and I was only at the birth center for the last 4 hours of labour. I’m sure this is not always the case however I strongly feel the model of care I chose and the birth pool were big factors in my outcomes. Less interventions, and women labouring at home for longer periods is surely, in my opinion, in the financial best interest of the hospital- providing an inflatable birth pool, which I believe is a smaller cost than the medications and procedures often used in births. 

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Responses

Response from Margaret Smillie, A/Director Kalgoorlie Health Campus, Goldfields, WA Country Health Service 2 weeks ago
Margaret Smillie
A/Director Kalgoorlie Health Campus, Goldfields,
WA Country Health Service

Submitted on 16/06/2025 at 3:46 PM
Published on Care Opinion Australia on 17/06/2025 at 9:33 AM

Dear Molcd33

Thank you so much for reaching out to us. I’m so pleased that you were able to access a service that met your needs in WA. The Family Birthing Centre is an amazing WA resource for our women and families, but it is unable to accept shared care.

An alternative option is King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEMH), which does collaborate with regional services for patients residing outside its usual catchment area. If there is a suitable plan in place for the woman to stay locally from 36 weeks, along with an appropriate postnatal care plan, KEMH may be able to accept the referral—potentially reducing the need for extensive travel.

Whilst a water birth is not currently available due to facility limitations, we’re excited that this option will soon be offered in Esperance for women who meet the criteria. This may be a valuable consideration for future planning.

We are actively exploring new models for midwifery service delivery in Kalgoorlie and considering a range of options. In the meantime, we are proud to offer a high-quality midwifery service that emphasises women-led care and an integrated model involving midwives, GP obstetricians, Aboriginal Medical Services, and specialist obstetricians.

As we review our services, we are seeking consumer input and would love to hear from those interested—either as a consumer or by joining our local District Health Advisory Committee to play a role in shaping change. If you are interested, please reach out to me via email at margaret.smillie@health.wa.gov.au.

I do hope that you and your family are well and enjoying life with your new baby.

Kind regards,

Margaret Smillie
A/Director Kalgoorlie Health Campus

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