Care options

3 pathways to pregnancy care

In summary, there are three main ways to access pregnancy care with Monash Women’s:

1. Within a clinic/team at one of our four hospital sites
2. Shared pregnancy care between the hospital and an affiliated GP, midwife or obstetrician
3. Obstetric non-hospital care with a Monash Health specialist obstetrician in the community

Each of these paths has criteria for suitability and within the hospital clinic/team, there are many dedicated clinic streams for women of varying need groups.

Read our summary brochure ‘Options for care in pregnancy‘ for further information and if you require a female carer. To view the fact sheet in Vietnamese or Khmer, click here

Care options

Women having one baby with a healthy uncomplicated pregnancy can choose care with a hospital midwife/ midwives or Shared Maternity Care. Women with more complex pregnancies will be suitable for collaborative, specialty or obstetrician non-hospital models.

Your care options for your individual needs are discussed with a midwife at your Booking- in visit, and at this visit a model of care is generally confirmed. Further detail for each of the major care streams for specific groups of women are outlined below.

Midwife care

Midwives are the experts in healthy pregnancy and birth and Monash Women’s celebrates this skill by including a primary midwife care model.

Suitable women can either see:

• midwives within one of the major care teams for their pregnancy, birth and beyond, or
• a small team of midwives (MIST) for pregnancy and birth (when available)
• a named midwife for continuity of care throughout your pregnancy, birth and the early postnatal period (Midwifery Group Practice @Casey)

Should challenges develop, team doctors and obstetricians are available and work collaboratively where required to care for you and your baby.

Midwife primary care is available within all sites and teams with the exception of the Maternal Fetal Medicine (a part of the Amber team) based at Clayton.

Collaborative care

Collaborative care means that both midwives and doctors work together on your pregnancy care and you will see a combination of hospital doctors, midwives and obstetricians during your pregnancy.

The strength of this model lies in the ability to care for more complicated pregnancies (including but not limited to vaginal birth after caesarean, previous third degree tear, high blood pressure, gestational diabetes requiring insulin, large and small babies) in a holistic way bringing together the strengths of medical and midwife care.

Collaborative care is available within all sites and most teams. Women who are assessed as needing a minimum of collaborative care are not eligible for primary midwife care.

Specialty care

In specialty care, you will primarily see a hospital obstetrician or obstetric doctor due to a higher level of complexity in your pregnancy, this care model is available within teams at Monash Medical Centre only.

Women who require specialty care can also choose to see a Monash Women’s obstetrician in their own rooms (non-hospital care). Women who are assessed as needing a minimum of specialty care are not eligible for primary midwife care or collaborative care.

Shared care

In shared care, your pregnancy care is shared between a Monash Women’s accredited affiliate in the community (General Practitioner, Obstetrician or Midwife) and the hospital. This allows you to have continuity of care during the pregnancy and the postnatal period.

You will see this caregiver for many of your pregnancy visits, with hospital visits with an obstetrician in the maternity clinic (initial, 28, 36 weeks and if you go overdue) and a midwife (telehealth visits at booking and 35 weeks). As your record is shared between different sites and systems, remember to bring your hand held record, plus printouts of new results if possible, as this is helpful for communications and results.

Women who have otherwise healthy pregnancies without significant pre-pregnancy medical problems, a BMI less than 35 at booking and no more than one previous caesarean section can elect for shared maternity care.

If you have any questions regarding shared care, or would like assistance finding a community practitioner to suit your needs, you can contact our Maternity Shared Care Coordinator on: 0466 412 885 or email sharedcarecoordinator@monashhealth.org.

For more information, view our fact sheet on Shared Pregnancy Care. To view the fact sheet in Vietnamese or Khmer, please click here.

Your own obstetrician

If you prefer a senior doctor for all your visits and to see one person through your pregnancy, this care model is designed to meet your needs. Monash Women’s obstetricians can see pregnant women in their private practice regardless of assessed level of care with few exceptions.