"Antenatal, L&D and Postnatal Care"

I had planned to give birth at the KEMH Family Birth Centre and completed all my prenatal care with their team.

At 39 weeks, we were excluded from the Birth Centre due to our baby being macrosomic (large). This was honestly very disheartening — I had been so excited to birth there and felt very comfortable with the environment and what to expect.

However, from the moment my baby’s size was identified, KEMH was phenomenal at reorganising my care. Everything happened smoothly — a scan was quickly arranged, followed by an appointment with a doctor where our options were clearly explained. Even though we were now moving into a hospital setting, I still felt fully supported and well informed. I was grateful to have educated myself on birth options beforehand, as it helped me ask the right questions for my own care.

Our KEMH Family Birth Centre midwife, Olivia, is absolutely second to none. You don’t get to choose your midwife, but anyone lucky enough to have Olivia is truly in the best hands!

We ended up being induced for our baby boy later that same week. The hospital midwives cared for us until our Birth Centre midwife could join — Olivia was on her days off and wasn’t able to join our labour until 8am the next day (at which point I was definitely needing her support), but we had already met her backup midwife, so it was comforting to have a familiar face with us at the start.

It was a little unfortunate that the hospital was particularly busy that day, with many spontaneous labours arriving. Because of this, they weren’t able to start the induction drip after my waters were broken, so I laboured for about 10 hours without progressing. Since I had been induced rather than going into labour naturally, my labour didn’t change much during that time.

Despite this, every midwife who cared for me was so kind, reassuring, and compassionate. Their warmth meant a lot, especially given our recent change in birth plans.

In the end, I was able to deliver our baby vaginally — exactly as I had hoped for all along. Both my wife and I felt incredibly well cared for and safe throughout the process.

There was a moment after birth when Olivia had to call a code due to a postpartum haemorrhage (PPH). Before pressing the button, she calmly explained what was going to happen, which made us feel safe and informed in what could have been a frightening moment. The doctors arrived within about ten seconds — which absolutely amazed me — and they were all incredibly calm, respectful, and professional. They communicated clearly about what they were doing and made sure to ask for consent whenever possible.

Reflecting on the entire experience, I can honestly say I can’t imagine having had a better care team. From start to finish, every midwife, doctor, and staff member we interacted with made us feel supported, informed, and cared for. Even though our birth plan changed, I never felt that we lost our sense of control or understanding of what was happening.

I wouldn’t want to birth anywhere else. KEMH and the Family Birth Centre provided outstanding care, and I’m so grateful to every person who played a part in bringing our baby boy safely into the world.

Again, I want to highlight the tremendous work by Olivia.