Obstetrician Perth
Childbirth and the moment your newborn baby joins you on a totally new journey, is both one of life’s miracles, and also a healthcare topic. On this page, we go over the details of our work as your obstetrician on the big day, as you are ready to deliver your baby.
- We respect your birth preferences and your and your baby’s safety is our number 1 priority
- The most common delivery options are vaginal birth, induction, elective caesarean section and VBAC
Obstetrician Perth
What to expect?
As your expected due date is approaching fast, you might be wondering what to expect during childbirth. You are unique, each childbirth is unique, and so is your labour. There are different delivery options and preferences, and it’s our job as your obstetrician to help you make an informed decision.
Your preferred birth choice will come out of your particular values, needs and plans.
Obstetrician Joondalup
Our job is to guide you with the best scientific knowledge available so you can make a well-informed decision. We will support and guide you, no matter what delivery option you have chosen. These are the most common options:
- Await events naturally for as long as you can and avoid unnecessary intervention.
- Request an induction of labour at 39 weeks due to your work-life balance needs.
- Opt for an elective caesarean section (including maternal assisted delivery).
- Opt for a VBAC (vaginal birth after a previous caesarean section).
Your delivery is a unique experience. We will talk about this extensively during your antenatal visits.
Obstetrician Joondalup
We also respect if, over the years, your opinion about your ideal birthing method has changed. For example, you may have had a previous traumatic natural birth. This time around, you may prefer a caesarean section in a controlled, low-risk environment instead, perhaps even a maternal assisted caesarean which means that you help deliver your baby. Or the other way around: you had a previous (emergency) section and this time you would really like to have a vaginal birth (VBAC).
Vaginal birth
We believe that a low-risk normal natural birth is generally the best thing for a mother and her baby. Depending on the care and education you have received and your relationship with your caregivers, it can be one of life’s most memorable and joyous experiences.
Your body and your baby know what to do. Childbirth comes naturally. We keep an eye out for any problems that may arise and help you manage them accordingly.
Obstetrician Perth
It is important to remember that most babies will be born naturally with little harm to them or their mother.
The length of labour is unpredictable but in general, the first time you have a baby is usually the longest labour you will go through.
Much of the early part of labour, known as the latent phase of the first stage of labour, happens at home. The active stage of labour starts when you are between 4-6cm dilated and contracting regularly and can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 9 hours.
Elective c-section
Equally, an elective caesarean section can be a beautiful and empowering experience. If this is your choice, we will fully support you.
Some of the common reasons for an elective caesarean delivery include:
- Problems with the placenta such as placenta praevia
- Multiple gestations such as twins or triplets
- A very large baby
- Your preference (maternal request)
A caesarean delivery usually takes between 20 to 40min.
You will be asked to fast for at least 6 hours prior to your baby’s delivery from food and at least 2 hours from fluids and you will be in the hospital at least a few hours before your surgical time. You don’t generally need to be admitted the night before unless you suffer from medical conditions such as diabetes or heart disease.
Once in hospital, you will be met by a nurse and an anaesthetist.
An intravenous drip will be placed in your arm or hand allowing you to receive medications vital to a safe delivery.
All your details will be triple-checked to make sure we are doing the right operation on the right person with your formal consent.
You will be moved into the theatre. This can be a little overwhelming as you will meet a whole group of new people, including nurses, the anaesthetist, and the obstetrician. You will have your partner/support person with you at all times
Once you arrive in the operating theatre, your back will be cleaned with an antiseptic and an experienced anaesthetist will administer a spinal anaesthetic.
Once this is done a catheter will be inserted into your bladder; this helps reduce the risk of a bladder injury.
Your pubic hair may need to be trimmed/clipped and your abdomen cleaned prior to delivery.
We will then confirm that your pain relief is optimal before we start.
Once your baby is delivered we will hand your baby to you for skin-to-skin contact while we complete the operation. Your baby may need a quick check by the neonatology team in the room and sometimes this may need to happen before your baby comes into your arms. Don’t panic in case this happens. Safety is always priority number one.
Once your operation is complete, your partner/support person will then take care of your baby while you go through to our recovery room (generally this takes about 30 to 40 minutes) and then you will be reunited with your family in your room.
The catheter will generally stay in for a few hours for your comfort and you will be reviewed by the pain team.
We will aim to remove the catheter and all medical devices within 8 to 12 hours and we encourage you to be as mobile as possible and as early as possible.
VBAC
A vaginal birth after a previous c-section or VBAC is an option for women who would like to deliver vaginally after a previous caesarean section.
Under the right circumstances, we actively encourage you to consider this and we support you through it.
Obstetrician Perth
Of course there are circumstances when this may not be the most appropriate choice. We will guide you in making the decision.
Gestational diabetes is reasonably common, affecting up to 15% of pregnancies and it is very well managed.
It is unlikely that it causes any harm to you or your baby.
Gestational diabetes is managed by a multidisciplinary team that includes your obstetrician, midwife, obstetric physician, diabetes educator, dietitian and specialist diabetes nurse. You won’t usually need to see all these professionals but we work together to achieve the best outcome for you and your baby.
You are likely to require some lifestyle changes and in some instances may need medications such as insulin or metformin during the pregnancy. With a well-controlled gestational diabetic pregnancy, we expect the same great outcomes compared to a situation without gestational diabetes.
Hypertension in pregnancy and in particular its more serious variant known as pre-eclampsia can affect up to 8% of pregnancies. While the two are closely related, they are not always the same thing. Your obstetrician will discuss what this means for you and help with keeping you and your baby safe.
For more information on pre-eclampsia and other high-risk factors, please read our page on high-risk pregnancies.
Your care provider will guide you.
This will depend on a few factors:
- Is it your first or subsequent child
- Do you have regional analgesia on board (epidural)
- How tired are you?
On average this can be between 1 & 3 hours.
An episiotomy will only be recommended if clinically needed. It is NOT routine. There are instances where it may be a good idea such as when you need an assisted delivery.
Of course, you always have the option of not having an episiotomy and this will be discussed with you at the time.
Yes. It is a good idea to write the plan early so we can discuss it with you.
We view our role as being there to safely provide the birthing experience that best fits your life expectations and values.
Every pregnancy is unique.
If you are low risk and things are going well, it may be better to stay at home a little longer than usual.
If your pregnancy is a higher risk then coming to the hospital early may be safer for your baby and for you.
We will guide you with these decisions when the time is right.
You would normally have called me before coming in, so I will likely be there to greet you. Otherwise, I will be there shortly after you arrive.
No single stereotype fits all. Subsequent deliveries are usually easier even if the pregnancy may have been harder.
Emergency c-section
Because by then we will have done our job well, you will be very familiar with the reasons why a c-section may be needed, as we will have discussed this during your antenatal care.
Your body and your baby know what to do. Childbirth comes naturally. We keep an eye out for any problems that may arise and help you manage them accordingly.
Obstetrician Perth
Some common reasons are:
- Foetal distress that is diagnosed by abnormalities in your baby’s heartbeat, this can lead to brain damage.
- Cord prolapse, when the umbilical cord is expelled prior to the delivery of the baby, this can lead to the blood supply to your baby being interrupted.
- Obstructed labour, this can lead to significant trauma for you or/and your baby.
12 excellent reasons to choose Joondalup Obstetrics and Gynaecology Group
Care for the whole family, organising work certificates for partners.
Providing safe care and birth options (experience as a rural GP obstetrician).
A limited number of private patients to allow us the ability to provide patients with the service they deserve.
Make the time for patients, understand what they want/expect from their journey, available 24/7 (when on leave you will be covered during those times).
Blood pressure management.
Foetal growth assessment.
Maintaining a close relationship with your GP.
In-house access to allied health services such as physiotherapy and lactation consultants.
Free online antenatal classes.
About
JOGG
We are Joondalup Obstetrics and Gynaecology Group, in short JOGG. We are a Joondalup-based private obstetrics and gynaecology practice, and cater for mums, women and families across the Perth metro area.
