Summary
- Since opening, 20 babies have been born at the birthing unit.
- Weipa Midwifery Group Practice (MGP) has 76 women on its case management books.
- This service enables women and their families to give birth in their familiar environment.
The families of both the first and second babies born at the Weipa Integrated Health Service birthing unit last year had planned to birth elsewhere prior to the opening of the new facility.
Weipa’s new birthing service formally started on 22 May last year, with the first baby, Vin Peter, born to parents Emily and Alistair Thorogood on 28 May.
The birthing service’s second baby, Millie, was born to patents Maddi and partner Lincoln on 26 June last year.
Since the opening, 20 babies – eight boys and 12 girls - have been born at the birthing unit.
This includes the birthing unit’s first Mother’s Day baby, a boy born on 11 May, who was also the first baby born at the Weipa unit to parents from Napranum.
First mum Emily Thorogood said the family initially had booked to fly to Cairns for the delivery.
“But when they announced the opening date for the birthing service at Weipa, we asked our midwife if we could stay,” she said.
“When we got the approval, it was such a relief.
“My first son Kai was born in Mareeba so we had to fly out of Weipa at 36 weeks and that would have been even more difficult to do with Vin when we had Kai to consider.
“With Vin, I was able to labour at home for a while, then just drive two minutes to the hospital and Vin was born half an hour later.
“We live and work in Weipa and it’s our home. It’s so good this service is open for families up here. The staff who looked after us were great, and the midwives were really lovely.”
Maddi said that prior to the reopening of the Weipa birthing service, she and partner Lincoln had been planning on returning to their hometown of Ipswich to deliver.
“That is where all our family is so we would have had that extra support,” she said.
“But birthing locally at Weipa turned out to be amazing and logistically it worked out perfectly for us. The idea that I could labour at home, then be able to go back to our own home with Millie straight away.
“I felt like the care at Weipa was so individualised. It was just about us and our baby from when we first moved to Weipa and had our first appointment with our midwife.
“During our stay, every interaction we had with every staff member was great - they were all, especially the doctors and midwives, very kind and compassionate.
“We had our own birth suite, brand new facilities, our own room and Lincoln was able to stay overnight with us – it was very special.
“The birth suite was comfortable and calming, with fairy lights, positive affirmation posters and my own music. I felt safe and cared for in a newly opened space.’’
Weipa’s last birthing service closed in 1999.
Weipa Director of Nursing and facility manager Kindee Lawty said a Midwifery Group Practice had been in place at Weipa and delivering full antenatal and postnatal services since late 2022, while work was under way to introduce a full birthing service.
“Our first birth in May last year was an incredible moment for all of us here at Weipa,’’ she said.
"Our Midwifery Group Practice team had been so dedicated to supporting the women of the Western Cape through their pregnancy and post-natal journeys and then to be able to provide a birthing service as well was so wonderful for our communities.
"That was exactly why we worked so hard to re-open this service, so that our families did not have to travel long distances to have their babies."
The Weipa Midwifery Group Practice (MGP) comprises of a midwifery unit manager, six clinical midwives, a women’s health physiotherapist, an Advanced Indigenous Health Worker, and a social worker, with the team supported by hospital doctors with skills in obstetrics and anaesthetics.
Over the past 12 months since 22 May last year, the MPG has received 151 referrals for women from Weipa and the surrounding communities for support with their pregnancies, both antenatally and postnatally, including the 20 who chose to birth at Weipa.
Women may choose to birth away for their own reasons, including being closer to family and friends, as well as to access more complex medical care if required by their circumstances.
Currently, the MGP has 76 women on its case management books.
Ms Lawty said Weipa IHS would mark the first anniversary of the birthing service with a special event at the hospital on 22 May.
She said local Traditional Owners would be invited to conduct a blessing and mothers who had given birth at Weipa over the past year also would be invited to come and share their stories and experiences.
Weipa Midwifery Group Practice Clinical Midwife Lorraine Woods said the Weipa birthing unit provided women-centred care to Weipa and surrounding communities, including Napranum, Mapoon, and Aurukun.
"This service enables women and their families to give birth in their familiar environment, with the support of a known midwife, fostering trust and following the continuity of care model," she said.
Torres and Cape Hospital and Health Service Western Director of Medical Services Dr John Hall is a past president of the Rural Doctors Association of Australia, and in that role was heavily involved in advocacy for bringing back birthing to rural communities.
"It has been an absolute pleasure working alongside a dedicated team of midwives, doctors, theatre staff, allied health and nurses in a highly collaborative team environment.”
"Birthing on Country or a close to home as possible is so important for our First Nations communities.
"The social, economic, and cultural cost of leaving community for over a month, in a foreign environment, without family supports, to have their babies cannot be understated.
"Bringing birthing back to Weipa helps maintain and attract a skilled workforce that ensures other hospital-based services thrive and continue – services like emergency and critical care, and ongoing access to operating theatres – thereby enabling a broad range of operations and specialty services."