Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families
The Aboriginal Midwives Team
The Aboriginal Midwives Team support families across our four sites, Monash Medical Centre Clayton, Dandenong Hospital, Casey Hospital and Sandringham Hospital. The role of the Aboriginal Midwife is to provide culturally safe maternity care to all families who enter our service.
This care is offered to all woman who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, or a woman carrying a baby who will identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
Supports we provide include:
- Connection with our Aboriginal midwives who will provide cultural, emotional, and clinical support
- Ongoing contact throughout pregnancy and after the birth, to ask questions, receive advice, and offer support
- Home visits after discharge providing ongoing support with breastfeeding, support with recovery and social/emotional wellbeing
- Connecting families with further networks such as “Women’s Business” groups, playgroups, health centres and Aboriginal community based programs
- Regular support for families with a baby being cared for in Newborn Intensive Care or the Special Care Nurseries
- Assistance in navigating the health care system and advocacy in receiving care needed for the family
- Referrals to other services within Monash Health and the wider community
The BUBUP Clinic
The BUBUP clinic is a maternity clinic for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families run by the Aboriginal Midwives team. Continuity of care is provided from booking in for pregnancy care at Monash, through to home visits after baby is born.
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander families planning to birth at Dandenong Hospital or Casey Hospital will be placed into this clinic:
- Our Dandenong Clinic runs every Tuesday morning at the Monash Women’s Clinic Dandenong. It is planned you will birth at Dandenong Hospital.
- Our Casey/Pakenham Clinic runs every Tuesday afternoon at the Pakenham Health Centre. It is planned you will birth at Casey Hospital.
The BUBUP clinic will be commencing at Monash Medical Centre Clayton in late 2023.
Referrals
Both health professionals and women can refer to the Aboriginal Midwives team. Referrals to the Aboriginal Midwives team can be made in a few ways:
- When booking maternity care at Monash Health, a doctor can add Aboriginal status to the booking referral and add a comment that the woman would like to be seen by the Bubup team
- A woman can ask to be referred to the Aboriginal Midwives at any of their maternity clinic appointments at Monash Health
- Both health professionals and women can refer directly on the below email and phone numbers
Contact details
Email: aboriginalmidwives@monashhealth.org
Phone:
- Tamara Porter 0418 661 295 (Mon – Thur, 8 am to 4.30 pm)
- Yolande Grenfell 0436 428 872 (Mon, Tue, Thur, Fri, 8 am to 4.30 pm)