NOTE: Many changes have come into place over the last recent years on how to get a spot with the Belmont Midwife Group Practise Program, if you have any questions after reading this information below, feel free to give me a call :) Natalie: 0406 934 645

Options through Belmont Birthing include:

• Homebirth (as long as DURING your pregnancy journey you continue to meet required criteria - which is basically A level risk only, some B level may sometimes, rarely, be accepted in consultation with the JHH OB, who manages the Belmont MGP program)

• Birthing at Belmont Hospital (inside the Birth Centre)

• Or transferring at any stage to JHH Hospital (for a wide variety of reasons that can arise at any time).

The GREAT news about Belmont Birthing is the wonderful access to:

• One-to-One Continual Midwife Care with the Belmont Midwifery Group Practise Midwife Team

• The choice to birth at your home or the Belmont Birth Centre. NOTE: Women are only eligible to birth at home if they are within 30 minutes drive radius of JHH and have the homebirth pre-planned with their care team.

• The advantage of birthing with a member of your known midwife care team (that's the ideal intention of the program and although not always met, it is the key design of the program).

• We all know that birth can include periods of transition and giving up.... by birthing at the Birth Centre at Belmont Hospital you are away from the temptation of strong medications for pain relief, this means you can get through that tough stage of labour on your own endophins and your baby can be born without medications in their system!

• After birth the ideal intention is to head home four hours after birth to relax in your known and comfortable environment for best sleep etc)

• All of the Birth Centre rooms have baths to enjoy

NOTE: The BEST way to ensure your birth is as physiological and smooth as possible is to do great quality, private, birth education and/or consider hiring a Birth Doula.

The time and energy you invest in your birth will reward you for your full lifetime and your next generations too!

Find out more about a great private, highly specialised, birth course with Natalie Meade

HOW TO GET A SPOT WITH BELMONT:

At the moment women are being asked to ring JHH and ask for their initial appointment (IMAP) at about 11 weeks to be assessed for suitability for the program. Make sure you make it clear when you ring JHH that you WANT a spot with Belmont.

To make an antenatal clinic appointment at JHH, you can call (02) 4921 3600 between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm on weekdays. This number is for all antenatal clinic appointments.

It could ALSO be a good idea to ring the Belmont Centre phone number to let them know all your details and that you are wanting a spot! (This may or may not be helpful, but I would personally suggest it. I hear of enough stories around Australia where bithing women miss out on spots as paperwork was misplaced or calls not followed up!) (put the effort in to be sure you get a spot)

If you want to ring Belmont: Belmont Midwifery Group Practice can be contacted by phone on (02) 4923 2108

If there is an answering machine, be sure to tell them your full name, address and weeks pregnancy and ask to be placed on a reservation list (in case they are currently using that method)

And best wishes!!!

Nat :)

P.s. If you feel FIRST like chatting to an experienced Birth Doula, about your birth choices and any extra questions, call me anytime, Natalie: 0406 934 645