I am currently receiving quality prenatal care with the Wheatbelt Midwifery Group Practice (WMGP) in Northam. This is an excellent service for which I am very grateful. It is on a share-care arrangement with Midland St. John of God Midland Hospital (SJOG).
My issue is this: I am not considered ‘eligible’ to deliver my baby in Northam. Instead I have to travel a further hour into Midland to deliver. I am in the category of ‘Grand Multiparous’ (6 or more births), and based on this, I am considered ‘high risk’ and do not meet the inclusion criteria to birth in Northam. I don’t believe that medical research in developed countries can confirm that grand multiparity to be necessarily any higher risk than lower parity.
I live over an hour drive from Northam which makes a trip to Midland a two hour drive. In order to meet the ‘shared care’ arrangement, I must travel to Midland for booking-in, midwife and obstetrician appointments though-out the pregnancy. This is inconvenient, time consuming, expensive and particularly frustrating when I could otherwise have access to experienced care through the WMGP and be spared the extra hour travel for appointments and during labour in order to get to Midland SJOG.
I feel I am being discriminated against without sound medical reasoning. To be blanket labelled ‘high-risk’ simply on the basis of parity and thus be excluded from the right to birth in Northam without an assessment of personal health and previous obstetric history, I believe is wrong.
My understanding is that the midwives at the WMGP have guidelines to adhere to, and this is not within their authority to change.
What can I do to be risk assessed based on my past history and present health and not simply on the basis of parity in order to be considered eligible for birth in Northam with the WMGP?
"I feel I am being discriminated against"
About: Northam Health Service Northam Health Service Northam 6401 St John of God Midland Hospital St John of God Midland Hospital Midland 6056
Posted by octanskw45 (as ),
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