Presented by Robert Clark MP		www.robertclark.net

‘Birralee’ maternity centre opened at Box Hill Hospital

Box Hill Hospital has developed a new way to help mothers during pregnancy and childbirth.

The hospital is offering mothers a personalised midwife to care for them from early pregnancy, help deliver the baby, and continue caring for mother and baby from hospital to home.

The "Know Your Midwife" service is provided at the hospital’s new purpose-built $4.84 million maternity centre, "Birralee" — Koorie for baby, which was officially opened by the Minister for Health on 16 April

The centre was jointly funded by the Victorian Government and the Inner and Eastern Health Care Network.

The Victorian Government also supports Birralee’s choice and continuous care service with an extra $520,000 a year from the Maternity Services Enhancement Strategy.

The centre also offers expectant mums a Midwives Shared Care choice, with pre-birth visits attended by a small group of midwives at the hospital. Key visits at 28, 36 and 40 weeks are attended by a doctor.

Yet another choice, called Shared Care, involves pre-birth visits with a local General Practitioner, except the key consultations, which are at the hospital.

Finally, the more traditional Hospital Care choice, includes consulting a hospital doctor for key visits and a midwife or hospital doctor at other visits.

All the choices offer new mums support from midwives including home visits for five days after birth, and longer if necessary, before handing over support to local Maternal and Child Health Centres.

Birralee also offers the latest in medical expertise and technology to support women. The new maternity suites, which are expected to see 2500 newborns a year, include all the comforts of home: a double bed, refrigeration, taped music and home furnishings.

The Birralee birthing choices are part of a broader $14.9-million Statewide Maternity Services Enhancement Strategy by the Victorian Government.

The strategy funds improved and innovative maternity care for Victoria's 46,000 mums who give birth in public hospitals each year.

(News Release, Office of the Minister for Health, April 16, 1999)