Midwifery Group Practice (MGP) Program
About the Service
Midwifery Group Practice (MGP) is a small group of midwives who provide one-on-one midwifery care for you and your baby at your local maternity district hospital
The MGP midwives offer antenatal and postnatal appointments at home and in the hospital, and arrange medical appointments as required.
We also offer pregnancy and postnatal care for women who are not having their baby at their local hospital.
MGP care is based on the philosophy of protecting, promoting and supporting you and your family throughout your pregnancy, birth and for up to four weeks after birth.
How to Refer/ Contact
Bunbury, Collie, Margaret River and Warren Blackwood
Click below to self refer into the program
Feedback or Queries
Please contact the Regional Clinical Midwifery Consultant on 0436 005 881 or via email below
What the MGP Provides
A known midwife
You will be allocated your own midwife who provides care through pregnancy, birth and for up to four weeks after birth.
Trusting relationships
You will have the opportunity to develop a strong, trusting relationship with your midwife.
Meet the other midwives in the practice
During antenatal classes, ‘Mums and Bubs’ groups and monthly ‘Meet the Midwives’ sessions, you will be invited to meet the other midwives in the practice who will care for you if your midwife is not available (days off, unwell etc.).
Antenatal appointments
At your first visit, your midwife will let you know how often your antenatal visits will be. The first visit will take about 1½ hours and can be arranged from 12 weeks.
Your midwives are available 24 hours, 7 days a week
for urgent pregnancy issues and for labour/birth.
Labour and birth care
Your midwife will be with you for your labour and birth.
Early discharge home
If there are no complications for you or your baby, you will be discharged within four to six hours after birth.
Postnatal home visits
Once you are discharged, your midwife will visit you at home up to four weeks after birth, for your postnatal checks. You will be provided with ongoing care from your child health nurse in the community for you and your baby from the age of 0-4 years.
Hospital Based Care
Bunbury
Bunbury Regional Hospital is the major referral centre for the South West and provides care for low to high risk pregnancies and births
Care Providers:
• Consultant obstetricians
• Paediatricians
• Anaesthetists
• GP-Obstetricians
• GP-shared care
• Shared care midwife antenatal clinics
• Midwifery Group Practice
Services include: Low risk water birth, caesarean sections, vaginal birth after caesarean section, epidural services, special care nursery, ultrasound, pathology, dieticians, diabetes educators, physiotherapy, social work, mental health services, parent education classes, child health nurses, home visiting midwifery services.
Collie
Collie Hospital provides care for low risk pregnancies and birth through their collaborative maternity model in which the Collie Midwifery Group Practice and local GP-Obstetricians work in partnership.
Women who have higher-risk pregnancies may have shared antenatal pregnancy care between their Collie MGP midwives and either their GP-Obstetrician or the Obstetric clinic at a referral hospital such as Bunbury Regional Hospital.
Care Providers:
• Midwifery Group Practice
• GP-Obstetricians
• Emergency Department
Services include: Low risk birth, low risk water birth, transfer back from other hospitals for postnatal care, ultrasound, South West Aboriginal Medical Service (SWAMS), Aboriginal liaison officers, physiotherapy, parent education classes, social work, mental health services, child health nurses, community postnatal care.
Margaret River
Margaret River District Hospital provides care for low risk pregnancies and birth through their collaborative maternity model in which the Margaret River Midwifery Group Practice and local GP-Obstetricians work in partnership. Low risk women in the Margaret River catchment may choose to birth in Margaret River Hospital or at Busselton Health Campus.
Women who have higher-risk pregnancies may have shared antenatal pregnancy care between their Margaret River MGP midwives and either their GP-Obstetrician or the Obstetric clinic at a referral hospital such as Bunbury Regional Hospital.
Care Providers:
• Midwifery Group Practice
• GP-Obstetricians (antenatal and postnatal only)
• Emergency Department
Services include: Low risk birth, low risk water birth, transfer back from other hospitals for postnatal care, physiotherapy, parent education classes, social work, mental health services, child health nurses, community postnatal care
Warren Blackwood
Warren Health Service provides care for low risk pregnancies and birth through their collaborative maternity model in which the Warren Blackwood Midwifery Group Practice and local GP-Obstetricians work in partnership.
Women who have higher-risk pregnancies may have shared antenatal pregnancy care between their Warren Blackwood MGP midwives and either their GP-Obstetrician or the Obstetric clinic at a referral hospital such as Bunbury Regional Hospital.
Care Providers:
• Warren Blackwood Midwifery Group Practice
• GP-Obstetricians
• GP – Anaesthetists
• Emergency Department
Services include: Low risk birth, low risk water birth, elective caesarean section (limited), epidurals, ultrasound, transfer back from other hospitals for postnatal care, physiotherapy, parent education classes, social work, mental health services, Aboriginal liaison officers, child health nurses, community postnatal care
Bridgetown
Bridgetown Hospital provides care for low risk pregnancies and birth through their collaborative maternity model in which the Warren Blackwood Midwifery Group Practice and local GP-Obstetricians work in partnership.
Women who have higher-risk pregnancies may have shared antenatal pregnancy care between their Warren Blackwood MGP midwives and either their GP-Obstetrician or the Obstetric clinic at a referral hospital such as Bunbury Regional Hospital.
Care Providers:
• Midwifery Group Practice
• GP-Obstetricians for emergencies
• Emergency Department
Services include: Low risk birth, low risk water birth, transfer back from other hospitals for postnatal care, physiotherapy, parent education classes, social work, mental health services, child health nurses, Aboriginal liaison officers, community postnatal care
Homebirth
Service available in: Bunbury
Homebirth with midwifery care is a safe birth environment for low-risk women. Women who birth in the privacy of home report being relaxed, confident and in control of their birth experience. Being calm and relaxed is proven to help achieve natural, drug free birth as is the freedom to move around comfortably in a familiar environment and adopt whatever position feels right for the woman. Additionally, birthing at home enables extended family members and/or older children to provide wider support. Feeling empowered to make informed choices improves a women’s wellbeing and motherhood journey. Many birth partners also find themselves more comfortable when providing birth support in the family home rather than in unfamiliar surroundings as they know where everything is that you may require to help your labour and birth.
The W.A. Health Homebirth Policy sets out clear criteria to help women make informed birthing choices. Midwives have a clear framework of safety and clinical guidelines to ensure the health and wellbeing of mothers and newborns. Women accessing publically funded planned home birth programs must be considered to be at low risk and meet the following criteria:
| Be aged 18 or over and 45 or under (40 or under for 1st baby) |
| Have the capacity to give informed consent |
| Have received regular antenatal care, with a health professional beginning in the first trimester |
| Have a singleton pregnancy |
| At the time of labour the baby is coming head first and you are between 37 and 42 weeks |
| Have a pre-pregnancy body mass index less than 35 |
| Are free from pre-existing medical or pregnancy complications (these can be further discussed with your doctor or midwife) |
| Has a suitable home environment (clean running water, electricity, vehicular access, general home cleanliness) |
Women accepted onto the home birth program are required to sign a terms of care agreement at booking on the program, 28 weeks and 36 weeks of pregnancy.
Waterbirth
Service available in: Bunbury, Warren Blackwood, Margaret River
Current evidence suggests that water immersion duringlabour and birth for low-risk women provides a safe nonpharmaceutical pain relief option that may improve the woman’s birth experience. Water immersion can reduce the need for pharmaceutical pain relief, improve privacy, increases oxytocin and endorphins, improve a woman’s sense of empowerment and reduce the chances of perineal trauma. MGP midwives prioritise training and competency in waterbirth to provide this option to eligible women enrolled on the program.
