The word midwife means ‘with woman’ and is reflective of the midwife’s role in accompanying the woman on her journey through pregnancy and childbirth into motherhood.
New Zealand College of Midwives
Booking
You can complete a booking form here. I do get booked up very quickly and take between 4 and 6 women per month. At booking I cover lots of information and give you paperwork for early lab tests, scans and screening. I give you a list of antenatal classes, your birth preference list, ask you to sign a registration form and you can ask me any questions you may have.
Antenatal appointments
As part of our partnership we see each other regularly. As the pregnancy journey progresses the appointments get closer together. The schedule of appointments generally happens as follows; 4 weekly until 28 weeks, 2 weekly until 36 weeks and weekly from 36 weeks until birth. I do also follow the NICE guidelines for healthy pregnant women which is set out in the image below.
Physical checks
As part of our regular visit I take your blood pressure, listen to baby using a doppler, palpate your tummy to determine baby’s position and check your urine. Other checks occasionally undertaken with your consent would be; a speculum examination to view the cervix if you think your waters have broken and a stretch and sweep to encourage labour if you are term, which is 37-42 weeks. All of this is done with full discussion and consent.
The blood pressure check and urinalysis are part of checking for something called Pre-eclampsia. This is a serious pregnancy condition which some women can develop after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
Resources
I am a true geek and love technology, so I make use of modern technology such as texts, Apps and emails to remind you of appointments, to send resources which I think may be of help when making choices during your pregnancy and to streamline care.
With your consent I will send you YouTube video playlists from my YouTube channel. My blog page also streams my instagram and Facebook posts so everything is up to date. There are also plenty of resources on the resources page to download. I use the Expect midwifery database which has a client portal so you can check your lab and scan results and see all of your notes and booked appointments. This is accessible and available to you 24/7 which makes your care clear and transparent.
Referrals
I provide your antenatal care but at times women need specialists as part of their care. Throughout our partnership I clinically assess any risks that may arise and refer you to the best specialist for support, while remaining your midwife and advocate.
Sam Rhodes Midwife 