"Care and services of the Family Birth Centre"

Throughout every stage of my pregnancy and post-birth, I cannot praise higher the staff at FBC.

From the moment Kate called to say I’d been accepted into MGP1 and she would be my primary midwife, I felt safe, supported and more than just a patient in the system. At every appointment, she not only clearly communicated the necessary education and information, emphasising our ability to choose and give/remove consent at any point but was always so lovely and personable. She made sure my husband/birth partner had opportunities to ask questions, that we had time to discuss our options together and at every appointment reminded us to do something nice for ourselves together before baby came along. We saw Olivia for one appointment while Kate was away and she drew an incredibly helpful guide and timeline for contractions, how they progress and when to come into the FBC, something I have kept and shown multiple people. 

During my labour, Kate was amazing. I felt very safe in her hands and she guided me through my pain relief options every step of the way. The birth centre facilities were fantastic, with the room set up to give me multiple options while labouring, including the shower and birth pool. As my labour progressed Hannah, a student midwife and Yannie, another midwife from MGP1 also supported me. Eventually I needed to be transferred to the hospital for constant monitoring of myself and baby, and my main midwife became Yannie. The obstetrician Claire was kind and explained my options clearly. Yannie made sure I understood what the obstetrician was offering and I was happy to consent, something that is at the core of care at FBC. Yannie encouraging me to keep pushing definitely helped me to finally get baby out! We were transferred back to FBC and it was a lovely and calm few hours where we were able to rest before heading home with our baby.

The following 9 days where a midwife visited our home was incredibly valuable, especially as first time parents. They supported us in our first few days as parents, making sure our baby boy was going well, answering all our questions and ensuring I was going well both mentally and physically, all in the comfort of our home. We looked forward to their visits each day! I often started the day a ball of emotions and once the midwives left I always felt calm and confident in caring for our baby. Claire from MGP2 was fast acting to identify the issues I had breastfeeding and put me on a rest plan, getting a hospital pump to increase my supply and suggested an online class with the Breastfeeding Centre of WA that was invaluable. Olivia listened to my worry about how I was healing and alleviated my concern. Kate got our breastfeeding back on track with better positioning/ attachment and efficient pumping, with baby making superb weight gains in the days that followed.

I cannot recommend enough the care and services of the Family Birth Centre.