"GP antenatal care in the Wheatbelt"

Earlier this year, my partner and I found out we were expecting a little baby following 2 miscarriages. Being a first time mum and not knowing where to start, I was advised to start antenatal care with a GP before being referred onwards to the local midwifery group for care.

With the current GP crisis in the wheatbelt, scarcity of available appointments and limited appointment time, the experience was disheartening.

Due to my Normal GP being extremely difficult to get into, I was required to start seeing another GP at the same practice and share care to be able to meet the appointments required/advised to attended by both practitioners.

I was advised by both practitioners to make and attend an antenatal appointment every 4 weeks for routine checks. Although known and seen by both GPs early in my pregnancy, each appointment I would attend for a routine antenatal appointment I would be asked why I was there. Due to the allocation time for appointments only being 10 min, by the time I explained what I was there for and where we were up to with my care, there was no time to perform routine checks or ask any questions/ address any concerns. I would also attend appointment to address requested scan and blood results and be given repeat request form to attend again. This occurred multiple times throughout my care making appointments either feel like a complete waste of time or a set back. I felt as though I was going around in circles with no real progression to my antenatal care.

With all the set backs with repeat scans and tests, and delays in appointment times. I would ask when I would be referred to the midwifery group for continued care and I would be told after this scan or when we get these test result back. The scan and test results would come through and again no referral would be made, again making appointment feel like a waste of time. These appointments also got very expensive as appointments were no longer bulk billed.

My referral was finally sent at 24 weeks pregnant and I was able to see a midwife at 25 weeks. During my booking appointment with them I was asked why I hadn't seen them earlier as care with them could of commenced at 16 weeks. I explained the issues that occurred and was advised that I could of self referred (this I was unaware of and If I had known, would of made a huge difference to my care and pregnancy experience).

The midwives have been absolutely amazing, so supportive and informative, I only wish I saw them sooner.

My midwife advised me to share my story here in hopes of it helping other expecting mums in the wheatbelt and in hopes of it making a change to GP antenatal care in the wheatbelt.