"King Edwards Memorial Hospital - Midwife Group Practice"

I am writing this review to acknowledge the wonderful midwifery care I received from the Midwifery Group Practice at King Edward Memorial Hospital (KEMH).

At the first appointment at KEMH, a midwife ran through the different options for birth. My husband and I were immediately drawn to the idea of the Group Practice, having read about positive birth experiences with a familiar coach. Unfortunately, the GP had taken a while to refer us to the hospital and the Midwife Group Practice was full. We were put on a waiting list. To my delight, I received a call about half-way through my pregnancy telling me that a place had become available.

Having my appointment with the same midwife in the lead up to my due date was invaluable. I felt that we were able to build a positive relationship and this created a safe space for me to ask some of the awkward and embarrassing questions that come with being pregnant. Having access to a familiar and knowledgeable support person was even more important because all education classes had been cancelled (due to COVID19). My midwife, Sarah, was my go-to for the check-ups and for information about what to expect during all stages of birth. She went above and beyond by providing me with online links and pointing me in the direction of literature worth reading.

The birth experience was incredibly positive. Having a phone number to access the midwife in the team was comforting and once I had checked in to let them know that my contractions had started made me feel able to stay at home longer, rather than race off to the hospital. A huge thank you to Maddy and Sarah who were so wonderful during the whole experience. You were both so calm and caring that I had no worries at all that everything would happen the way that it needed to. It created a personal, friendly and relaxed environment that I would not have thought possible in a hospital setting.

The aftercare we received from every single midwife, physio and doctor on Ward 3 was second to none. My husband and I were blown away by the standard of care in the public system. My baby was struggling to clear some fluid from their stomach and was struggling to feed and was vomiting a lot in the first few days. One of the midwives could see that I was struggling in the early hours of the morning on day 3 of no sleep. I felt completely overwhelmed and unprepared of how to help my baby who was sick and distressed. She offered to take them for a couple of hours to allow me to rest. It was everything I needed at that moment but didn’t dare ask for. Thank you.

I feel that the Midwife Group Practice is such a strong model of care and would 100% recommend it to anyone considering it. I wish that I had been made aware of it by my GP as an option from the very start of my pregnancy. I feel that it played a large part in my overall positive experience. Thanks again to all the midwives and staff at King Edwards for making my baby's entry into the world such a happy and safe one.