Motherhood comes with a lot of joy, at CRAICCHS we offer a range of services to help you prepare for your pregnancy, birth and beyond.
Once you find out you are pregnant it is essential to review your health and make lifestyle changes that will positively affect you and your baby.
Antenatal visits are a great opportunity to discuss your pregnancy, ask questions and have a range of important tests to early diagnose and treat any health concerns.
Importance of Antenatal Care
To help prevent complications and promote fetal health and development, it is important for any expectant mother to have good antenatal care.
Antenatal care includes a physical exam, weight checks, blood tests, imaging tests, ultrasounds, and other scans, depending on the stage of the pregnancy. The visits will also include discussions about the mother’s and fetus’s health and other concerns regarding the pregnancy.
First-time pregnancies may require 8 to 10 appointments, while subsequent pregnancies may require 7 to 9. To allow for effective management of your pregnancy, it is important that you don’t miss any of these appointments.
Mental Health
In the same manner that your physical wellbeing is important during pregnancy, your mental health should also be looked after. It is normal for pregnant women to have fears, worries and a host of other emotions involved with expecting a baby. Hormonal and physical changes may cause stress during pregnancy, increasing the likelihood of women developing mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder.
There is also the risk of Postnatal depression, a mood disorder which can affect both you and your partner after the birth to your baby. Symptoms may include extreme sadness, low energy, anxiety, mood swings, irritability, difficulty sleeping and lack of appetite for food.
When you’re feeling anxious or overwhelmed, at CRAICCHS we offer sympathetic, compassionate, and non-judgmental support during pregnancy and parenting. We’re here to help!
Immunisation
To help protect your baby from serious, infectious and life-threatening diseases, it is important that he/she is immunised.
The Australian National Immunisation Program (NIP) provides funding for recommended immunisation against 13 diseases for Australian children aged 0-4 years.
Here’s the schedule of Immunisation:
One immunisation against Hepatitis B at birth.
At 6-14 weeks, there are 3 immunisations. The first will help protect your child against hepatitis B, diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, Haemophilus influenzae type b, and polio. The second will help protect your child against pneumococcal disease. The third will help protect your child from rotavirus.
The next schedule will be at 4 months, 6 months, 12 months, 18 months, and one last needle at 4 years.
There are also additional immunisations recommended for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. You can discuss this with your GP at CRAICCHS.
Children’s Health
Your baby needs health and development health checks to ensure that he/she is growing and developing at a normal rate.
Health Checks for Newborns to Six Weeks
At Birth:
Your doctor will check your baby to rule out any health issues. You will be given a Child Health Record booklet so you can keep track of your child’s progress.
Some of the tests will be Neonatal Screening Test and the Newborn Hearing Screening. The purpose of these tests is the early detection of health conditions for easier management and prompt treatment.
One to Four Weeks
Your doctor will check your baby’s progress in health, growth, and development. You can also bring up general questions about baby care such as feeding, bathing, and other concerns.
6 Weeks
This will be a general physical checkup which involves the examination of the eyes, mouth, nose, ears, skin, lungs, heart, abdomen and genitals.
6-9 months
This is to check your baby’s development using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire. This also involves a physical check of weight, height and head circumference.
18-24 months
This is a repeat of the above check.
3-4 years old
The health checks for three to four-year-olds are to ensure that your child is fit and ready to start school. The requirements vary in each State and Territory. When your child reaches 4 years, A Healthy Kids Check is provided by the government, this is to improve and protect the health and wellbeing of Australian children. It also aims to promote early detection of lifestyle risk factors, delayed development, and disease.
At CRAICCHS we provide a range of support services at every stage of your journey to ensure every mother and child is given the best possible care.
To book an appointment contact us on (07) 4169 8600.
References * https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/mothers-babies/maternal-deaths-in-australia-2016/contents/report