A look into maternity services at meeting

PARKES QUE CLUB By LYNN ROGERS At our May business meeting we learnt that home birthing is now available for women in our area. Guest speakers, midwives Hannah Dixon and Tanya Bayliss, captured our attention with updates on maternity and birthing services in Parkes. Although birthing services have been transferred to Forbes, the maternity unit at the Parkes Hospital offers antenatal and postnatal midwifery care. Dedicated support from midwives is a vital necessity especially for our rural families. Hannah Dixon, a midwife at Parkes Hospital, explained the MAPP program (Maternity Antenatal/Postnatal Program) where a midwife provides education and support for mums during antenatal and postnatal care of babies at home. Antenatal care from the same midwife, or local team of midwives, provides regular health checkups to monitor baby and mother, and then postnatal care, including breastfeeding assistance, newborn care as well as checkups and support to mothers is available for 2-6 weeks after birth. Through her small business “Beyond birthing Midwifery” Tanya is a privately-practising endorsed midwife and registered nurse offering midwifery care through pregnancy and postpartum in Parkes and surrounding areas. As an endorsed midwife, Tanya can provide pregnancy related prescriptions, and requests for pathology and ultrasounds all without GP referrals. This home-based service allows for a relationship of trust and confidence to be established between pregnant mums and the midwife. Regular health checks, monitoring blood pressure, listening to the baby's heartbeat, and discussing birth preferences and signs of labour, all support the mum through home visits and is essential for the wellbeing of both mum and bub. Que Club has been associated with new-born babies for many years, providing baby’s first book to every Parkes baby. The books are taken to Parkes District Hospital and distributed to all the new bubs by the Child and Family Health Nurses. In other news, the club has welcomed two new members at the May meeting - Sarah Davies and Marianne Watson. The club is busy gearing up for the June Coradgery Picnic Race meeting, where we will be trialling some new menu items. You’ll find us under the grandstand with lots of goodies including home-made slices. The annual open gardens and markets which are scheduled for 11 October, is already being planned. Save the date. For information contact the club via our email which is parkesqueclub@gmail.com, or find us on Facebook.