"My experience at Family Birth Centre KEMH"

With my second pregnancy I chose to go through the Family Birth Centre at King Edward Memorial Hospital.  I went through the main hospital with my first and even though it was mostly a positive experience I wanted to see the benefits of continuity of care with a designated midwife at FBC, to have more support breastfeeding, and aim for a calm water birth.

I bonded so well with my midwife, Ashleigh, she understood exactly how I wanted to be supported and it was so nice to see the same midwife who knew my history without needing to re-explain myself with each appointment. She was so positive about everything while being so diligent with my care, making sure we followed up on small pregnancy complications such as low iron which ensured I was in the best health for birth. 

When it came to the birth, the calm environment of the birth centre made such a difference to keeping me in a positive mindset and staying in control during contractions. Ashleigh was amazing at reassuring me that everything was going so well but also leaving me to stay in the zone, I didn’t feel observed but felt so safe, supported and gently guided by her. Even at the end when my baby came out rather fast and needed some help, I never once felt anxious or worried, the whole team of midwives were always so in control and reassuring. 

For anyone wanting a calm and positive birth experience with exceptional midwifery care, I couldn’t recommend the KEMH family birth centre highly enough.

My breastfeeding experience has also been so much easier this time and I put that down to having Ashleigh understand my history and complications right from the start, along with her positive attitude, and not having too many varying and conflicting opinions of multiple care providers. 

Having Ashleigh during my postpartum care was also so reassuring and calming, having that bond with your midwife makes the sensitive postpartum days so much better, and the home visits far from stressful. There are just so many benefits to the continuity of care model and the KEMH Family Birth Centre does it so well.