Celebrating 20 Years of Midwifery Group Practice: Empowering Women during pregnancy

Mother of three, Kimberley, expressed gratitude for the calm and supported birth of her baby Harper, crediting MGP after using the service for the third time.

"I'm so lucky to have had all three of my children through the MGP, and it is an absolutely amazing service," she says. Siblings Harper, Willow and Cooper were each born through the MGP service.

“From the moment you are accepted into care you start building great relationships with the midwives who are just so supportive and reassuring, and even though this is the third time for me, every child is different and it’s great to have that extra support while we get to know Harper”.

MGP offers a unique experience to the expecting mother with a primary midwife providing them education and advice, along with supporting midwives who are accessible around the clock.

The team deliver personalised care both at home and in hospital during each woman’s pregnancy and labour, as well as in the early weeks at home with a new baby.

The team are proud of the positive impact they’ve had for so many mothers.

“Over our 20 years, the one thing has remained consistent is that we’ve been able to have better outcomes than traditional care for women,” said Alli, Midwifery Unit Manager.

“Whether through less intervention, shorter length of stay in hospital, or greater satisfaction.”

These outcomes are underscored by fewer inductions of labour, fewer epidurals, fewer caesarean sections, and fewer transfers to the nursery.

The program has continued growing substantially in its two decades, showcasing its expanding influence across maternal care.

In 2010, our Aboriginal Family Birthing program was also incorporated into MGP, evolving into the standalone service we now know as Ngangkita Ngartu.

At a glance – 20 years of MGP:

• A popular option: Approximately 20% of WCH total births fall under its umbrella, translating to caring for 17,000 women and their babies since its 2004 inception.
• Feeding goals: Women returning home during MGP care are more likely to breastfeed their babies for longer.

• Collaboration: Midwives provide care for normal pregnancy and consult with doctors as needed to coordinate the best care for mother and baby.
• Accessibility: Midwives from the team are on call 24/7 and women can also phone at any time for advice. The only exceptions being capacity and geographical location.
• Proficiency: MGP midwives work to the full scope of midwifery practice across the childbirth continuum. They undertake additional skills of perineal suturing, neonatal checks and home birth accreditation.
• Home births: Over 500 women have experienced the unique support of MGP for a home a labour.
• Water births: More than 1,000 women have chosen the experience of water births.
• Largest baby: The program accommodated the birth of their largest baby, weighing an impressive 5560 grams.
• Gender distribution: 400 more boys have been born through the program than girls.
• Community visits: Over 6,500 community visits are conducted annually, reflecting MGP's commitment to individualised, home care.

Access to Midwifery Group Practice is limited. If you are interested in gaining a position, visit our web page for more information.