The first trimester includes weeks 0 to 12 of your pregnancy. As soon as you think you are pregnant, book in your first antenatal appointment. You will require a referral from your GP for Medicare purposes. This will be routinely at 10 weeks, and is when you will receive your welcome pack. If you have previously had a poor outcome, or are high risk, we may wish to see you sooner. I will scan you at each appointment. Whether your desire is a water birth, VBAC, or maternal assisted caesarean section, we are very happy to support your choice.

At your 10 week visit, we will ensure that your antenatal bloods have been performed, and refer you for your nuchal translucency and first trimester screening. This is routinely done between 11-14 weeks.

If you wish you can be referred for noninvasive prenatal testing (NIPT/Harmony test). This can be done any time from 10 weeks, and you can find out the sex of your baby if you wish. This is generally $500, with no Medicare rebate available.

At any stage, should you have any questions or concerns, ie bleeding, we strongly encourage you to call our rooms or come in. Alleviating any anxiety in a timely manner is our priority. At any stage of your pregnancy, should any of your results be abnormal, we will contact you directly by phone, and in some less urgent circumstances by email.

Besides general information, your welcome pack includes the pregnancy schedule, ‘handy hints for survival’, and advice on common complaints of pregnancy, which you can also find here.

Outside of appointments we are able to provide E-Scripts should you experience hyperemesis.

The second trimester includes weeks 13 to 28 of your pregnancy. This is the trimester where you may experience the pregnancy ‘glow’. During this time, your visits will be every 4-5 weeks. A scan will be performed at each visit. The morphology scan is performed at 18-20 weeks.

At 28 weeks you will have your glucose tolerance test, full blood count, thyroid function, vitamin D and antibody screening.

During this trimester we will book you in to your hospital of choice, either Newcastle Private Hospital or John Hunter Hospital. Both offer antenatal classes, although Newcastle Private Hospital classes are limited to online. Both hospitals provide a tour. There is an option to do private, independently sourced antenatal classes, such as Embracing Birth (Karen Scanlen).

John Hunter Hospital also offer specific courses, such Calm Birth, classes specific for those having a VBAC or caesarean section, lactation courses, Multiple Miracles (for twins/triplets), and Nuts and Bolts of Fatherhood for soon to be dads (see resources for more information).

The third trimester is from 28 weeks to delivery. Appointments during this time are two-weekly until 36 weeks, and then weekly from 36 weeks until delivery.

This is the trimester when you really start feeling the effects of carrying around a small person. Reflux, tiredness, pelvic and back pain are common, and as a result so are mood fluctuations. We will support you through all of this. We do a routine, formal scan at 32 weeks and repeat full blood count and iron studies at 34 weeks. If intending on a vaginal delivery we also perform a vaginal swab at 34 to 37 weeks. We will also discuss your thoughts and plans surrounding your delivery and if you wish, devise a birth plan.

At 36 weeks, if you are intending on breastfeeding you can obtain a pack from the postnatal ward for antenatal expressing. If you are intending on attempting a vaginal delivery we would encourage perineal massage. We also perform a vaginal swab for Group B Streptococcus at this time. If this is positive, we would advise IV antibiotics during labour. There is also a device called an Epi-No which can reduce the risk of perineal tearing. This can be obtained from a pharmacy (see resources). We would also encourage you to pack your bag for hospital (see resources).

Birth is an immensely personal experience. No two births are the same. I view my role as the person to keep you, your baby, and your family safe, and to try to facilitate the kind of delivery that you would like. This is in order to give the optimal amount of control back to you. This not only keeps you and your baby safe, but also attempts to optimise your satisfaction with your delivery. This can have flow on effects to reduce risk for postnatal depression.

Your baby’s birth is nobody else’s birth except your own. Not mine, not the midwife’s, and with due respect not even your partner’s. All of our roles should be to support you at this time. I tend to try to do all examinations myself, so there is no interpersonal variation of assessment, and will do my best to communicate with you each step of the way. If you are wishing for minimal intervention, then as long as both you and your baby are well there is no need to intervene. Mother nature does her job well, however should there be a glitch we have ways to keep you and your baby safe. As your primary carer, I will be present at your birth if you deliver during the week and one weekend in five, as per the shared on call roster with Doctors Winspear, Soaki, and Spilsbury, whom I have worked with for many years. Learn more about the weekend obstetric roster here.

Following your delivery I try to see you each day whilst you are in hospital to make sure your recovery is smooth and to address any concerns.

Your postnatal appointment is typically made around 6 weeks following the birth of your baby. However, if I or you think it is indicated I will arrange to see you sooner. At these appointments, I will check everything is okay physically and discuss how your postnatal journey is going. We will make sure that your cervical screening test is up to date and provide contraception if indicated. If at any stage your mood is lower or you are more anxious than what you would expect, we encourage you to get in contact. We have good working relationships with psychologists from Soar Psychology and The Perinatal Place. These both specialise in perinatal psychology and you can find their contact details on our resources page. We can also arrange postpartum physiotherapy/rehab.