At the Royal Women’s Hospital, we encourage all women to be actively involved in their pregnancy, birth and postnatal care, and we encourage the involvement of your partner, support person and family.
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We believe that every birth is a natural and unique event, and that you should receive personalised care throughout pregnancy, labour, and birth and in the days after you go home with your baby.
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Developments in maternity services indicate that women are more satisfied by a team approach to their care. With this in mind, the Women’s has introduced an improved way of looking after you and your baby. It is called ‘TeamCare’ and it means that you will be cared for by the same team of doctors and midwives throughout pregnancy, birth and during the early parenting period.
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This means:
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- your care is more personalised
- you are likely to see the same midwives or doctors from your team for your visits and hospital stay
- we aim for you to feel a greater sense of belonging and that your carers are more involved with your pregnancy.
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A range of hospital services is available to all women, including childbirth education, diagnostic services, genetic counselling, dietitians, physiotherapy and social workers.
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Women with straight-forward, low risk pregnancies should attend their local maternity hospital for their pregnancy care.
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If you live within the Women's local area, or require specialist pregnancy care, you will need a GP referral for your first pregnancy booking. Your first pregnancy visit will take place at the Pregnancy Booking Clinic, either at the hospital or one of our community clinics.
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After the birth of your baby, you can expect to stay in hospital for 48 hours following a vaginal birth or 72 hours following a caesarean. The actual length of your stay will depend on your wellbeing and the health of your baby.
Shorter hospital stays with additional home visits from one of our midwives may also be possible, check with your pregnancy care team.
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Refer to pregnancy care options for more information about pregnancy care at the Women's.
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Some women have more complex and diverse pregnancy needs. These women are cared for by obstetricians and midwives, usually within the hospital.
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