"MGP4"

I had a wonderful experience birthing my second baby at KEMH with our midwife Carissa from MGP4 earlier this year.

The continuity of care that MGP offers meant my husband & I were able to build rapport with Carissa & her buddy Lolita over the course of my pregnancy & felt confident to contact them directly any time we had concerns or questions. My antenatal appointments were thorough & on time & I always felt listened to & well cared for.

Prior to my baby's birth I discussed my preferences for it to be different from my first, to have an active birth with no intervention or drugs if possible. When my waters broke at home on a Friday night before going into labour, Carissa was on call & met me at the hospital for an assessment. After going home for a few hours she met us again at the hospital in the very early hours of the morning & stayed with us for around 10 hours, until about 4 hours after our baby was born.

Throughout my labour she offered helpful suggestions about positions & provided practical comfort where possible, most importantly she filled me with confidence, repeated that she believed in me, that I was safe, reminding me to trust my body. She really respected my preferences for minimal monitoring & intervention & allowed me to achieve the birth I wanted.

Immediately after she skillfully checked on the health of myself & my baby while facilitating 2 hours of uninterrupted skin to skin. As the birth was uncomplicated & my baby was well I was given the choice of going straight home or being admitted to the ward for further recovery, I chose to be admitted for a few hours until I felt confident to go home, at no point did I feel pressured to leave.

The next morning Carissa did our first home visit ensuring the health of my baby & me, while Lolita visited for the next 3 days. I was pleased to welcome them into our home & truly felt they were dedicated to the health & happiness of my baby & me & shared in our family's joy.

I believe my mental & physical health was so good in my postnatal period due to feeling safe, respected & skillfully cared for as a result of being able to build a trusting relationship with my primary midwife. That trust was a true gift, it meant I was in turn able to trust myself to birth in the way I had hoped. I wish all birthing people had access to such fantastic continuity of care & the range of skills, knowledge, warmth & passion I think the midwives bring.