Leaving hospital after the birth of your baby can be quite daunting, suddenly there are no ‘professionals’ at home to answer all your questions, support you with breastfeeding and generally assist and advise. During postnatal home visits we will be looking after both you and your baby, monitoring your postnatal recovery and answering any of your questions, we will discuss feeding and support you with all you need for successful breastfeeding, monitoring this each time we see you. We will check your baby’s growth and development and see how things progress on each visit, helping you to feel confident with your new role as a parent.
Many insurance companies cover our services and it will depend on your plan and also the type of services which ones can be claimed. Postnatal visits usually fall under the baby’s plan, since they are mainly to focus on the baby. Usually it is best to ask your doctor to write a referral letter to us that then can be attached to the insurance claim, to explain that the service was indeed needed.
The three different types we offer are Babies and Beyond, Natural Birth (based on Hypnobirthing and Active birth) and Express Antenatal. You really choose between the first two by asking yourself what kind of a birth you want. Those that want to go through unmediated birth, i.e. without drugs, should definitely choose the Natural Birth classes – even in the case where they end up using medication, the methods taught in these sessions will decrease the chance of that very much. If you intend to have an epidural during labour, then Babies and Beyond will be more suitable. If neither of these classes suits you time wise, we offer the Express Antenatal on two Saturdays in a row, but there will be little breathing exercise in these two. So often if people book Express classes, they will come once or twice on a Friday for a Birth breathing session as well. So: Drug free birth: Natural birth classes. Epidural during labour: Babies and Beyond classes. Time does not suit: Express Antenatal class.
Book in for one and during the initial assessment we will decide with you whether your baby or child’s sleep issues will need just the one or a series of consultations. It is very individual and depends on the complexity of the sleep problems.
Every 4 weeks for the first 6 months, then every two weeks and weekly for the last month. Additionally, you may wish to have an ultrasound done around 14 weeks and 20 weeks. We can do all of the antenatal checkups at Annerley, apart from the ultrasounds.
Yes we can. Make sure to mention it when you book the session and we will bring what is needed.
The visits usually start 1-2 after discharge from hospital. Most women have a package of 5 sessions, with two in the first week and then weekly. If there are specific problems, such as with breastfeeding, we will come more often. To ensure that we can be there early enough (to prevent any problems), we suggest you call the office the day after you give birth to book the first session. Our number is 2983 1558.
Yes it may well be worth having a midwife with you at home, but you are correct, the government hospitals do not allow more than one person to accompany you when you are there. Many women are insecure at home though and find it hard to define when it is the right time to go to hospital. Not wanting to leave too early and not too late either, this can be a challenge. If you arrive to the hospital and are less than 3 cm dilated, the husband is usually not allowed to stay with you in the ward, so it is well worth making sure that you can safely stay at home at least till you are in very active labour, or more than 4 cm dilated. This is where we can often help, by being by your side at home, making sure both you and baby are safe and happy. Our experience is that this also installs some confidence that you then carry with you when you
Every sleep problem is individualized by the age of the baby, current patterns, parenting style, and existing sleep habits so it is very difficult to get anything but a general overview from a book. The sleep clinic consultation will be an in depth assessment of your baby, listening to your views and parenting style and together we will come up with a programme for change that suits you and your baby.
The birth breathing sessions (held every other Friday morning at 10 – 11 30 am) are a great way to practice breathing and positive reinforcement for the birth. They are almost always additional to any other classes that women do. Most women forget or simply don’t take the time to do any breathing practice and standard antenatal classes today usually skip the exercise too. This is why we offer these sessions, - they are a way to take the time to practice, meet other mothers in a similar mindset and get a lot of positive energy for your upcoming birth. So no matter if you have done antenatal classes or even none at all, Birth Breathing, one session or many sessions, - is always going to be useful.
Yes, we can do most of your antenatal checkups. We would suggest, however, registering with the government clinic around 35 weeks the latest, just to make sure that you are booked into the hospital.
If you come to our classes, there is no need to attend the ones that the hospital offers. We give you a certificate for you and your husband that the hospital will accept when you are in labour.
If he can, we would encourage you to come together. If he is busy or wishes not to come fear not – there are always some couples where this is the case so most likely you will not be the only one without a husband. In any case, the classes are very casual and relaxed so if he comes he will most likely enjoy it, but if he cannot, you should still be fine on your own.
We suggest starting the baby massage courses around 4-8 weeks after the birth. They are not just about massage but also development and stimulation, as well as going through relaxation techniques. They are therefore good when the baby is irritable or colicky in the early days, so then it is best to start as early as possible. Don’t worry about feeding, crying or changing diapers – you are in a very understanding environment!
We suggest starting classes around 22 – 30 weeks of pregnancy.