SWAN Hill District Health has maintained a service for mothers, babies and families throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Like at other regional health services, the period has caused pressure at times, but the midwifery and obstetric team has risen to all challenges.
Like all services, SHDH plans for rare events when it’s on maternity bypass. These plans are made to ensure safety of mother and baby.
Then, a midwife will always be available for assessment and support, and to organise ambulance transfer to another service if needed.
SHDH says these plans are for emergency contingency planning, not an alternative to normal operations.
In a two-part series, new mothers and the hospital’s obstetrician share their stories as SHDH counters any fears about the service closing, saying it’s committed to providing 24-hour maternity and obstetric service to the region.
JAYDE’S STORY, THE BIRTH OF OLIVER
JAYDE says personal touches around having a baby at Swan Hill made all the difference for her.
She and partner Brett live at Sea Lake with son Declan. Living in an area without any midwifery services, they always knew they had to leave to have this baby.
Having decided on Swan Hill District Health, Jayde switched from seeing her GP to appointments at Swan Hill midwifery ward. This meant she was more comfortable, because when she was admitted in labour, she already knew some of the staff.
“My first son was born at Bendigo, and we liked that experience. But I’d heard good things about Swan Hill, and we wanted to try that. It was the perfect decision, we had a wonderful experience,” she said.
Jayde is full of praise for the staff who work with newborns at SHDH.
“The breastfeeding support staff make all the difference – I wouldn’t be breastfeeding if it wasn’t for them.
“That was a very calm, special time for us. It was good, too, because the midwifery staff always made sure there was time for my appointments and took into account that I had to travel from Sea Lake.”
The COVID visitor restrictions changed as she came into hospital.
“I was worried I wouldn’t get to see my two-year-old before labour, but the changes meant he was allowed in,” she said.
Brett and Jayde said staff explained everything as they went along and made sure they understood what was being done. The speed of Oliver’s arrival was a bit of a shock – Jayde was in labour for 12 hours with Declan, but his little brother arrived after just 90 minutes.
“It was the staff attitude and care that made all the difference. Just after Oliver arrived, they made sure Brett and I were comfortable and even dimmed the lights before they left us alone with our new son.
“That was a very calm, special quiet time when we got to bond.”
KATHRYN’S STORY, THE BIRTH OF PIPPA
KATHRYN waited a long time to have her baby.
“We are so happy to have her now,” she said. “We had our pregnancy care up until about 32 weeks, I think it was, with the Royal Women’s, and then came back home to have the baby.
“I found the transition back to Swan Hill to be really good. In Melbourne they’re very busy, under the pump, and I felt like I wasn’t having as many appointments, or being seen to as much as I should have, or being called and checked in on as much as I would have liked, or that I thought was necessary.
“And then when my care was taken over by Swan Hill I had lots of phone calls and regular appointments, weekly, or fortnightly at the start. So I felt very cared for. Everyone knew what was going on.
“For my whole pregnancy people were saying, ‘Oh, you just don’t seem like you’ve got a big enough bump.’ I exercised, ran for the first six months, or whatever, so I just thought, that’s normal.
“And then when I came back to Swan Hill, during a midwife consultation, the midwife said, ‘You are measuring a bit small, we need to find out what was going on,’ and so Dr Nick (Ellis) measured me as well. I just went with their lead, followed their guidance.
“They did an ultrasound, which found (Pippa) was measuring a little bit small, but still in the right size-frame. Dr Nick was really great. He just explained the situation, and said he recommended an induction.”
“‘The baby is on the smaller side, the placenta is calcifying. I think we should induce. What do you think about that?
“Are you happy with that?’, and we were just like, ‘We trust your judgment’. The midwives and Dr Nick, the obstetrician, made us feel really calm about it.”
Kathryn praised the birthing experience.
“I mean nothing prepares you for the pain, but everything went really smoothly. It happened a lot quicker than what we all expected, but I felt really supported.
“And between all of the midwives, and Dr Nick, who came in later. Everyone explained, kept me updated constantly, what was going on, what was happening to me. Because you’re not in a good frame of mind to think for yourself.”
Midwives Sarah and Jasmine, who cared for Kathryn in labour, “were just amazing”.
“At the beginning of second stage, I think I was screaming, using my voice, and I remember them just saying, ‘Just focus all that screaming energy into down here and push’,” Kathryn said.
“The midwives were really supportive to (partner) Jack as well, guiding him as to what he needed to be doing. The environment they created in there was very calm and they just made it so easy.
“And it is incredible once the baby is born. It is instant. It is the weirdest feeling. You go through so much pain and you don’t know what is going on.
“And then, all of a sudden, this baby is just here on my chest. It was just the most magical experience.”
Kathryn recommended Swan Hill maternity care.
“We had the best experience here. Especially for someone for whom it was their first time. Jack and I didn’t know really what we were doing or what was going on. And the whole time before the labour, during the birth, and after, our two days we had in hospital, we felt supported and cared for, the whole time.”
CLARE AND JESSE’S STORY: THREE GIRLS
CLARE and Jesse live south of Kerang. They had their second baby at the start of the COVID pandemic, and their most recent, Ivy, a week ago.
“My first birth was intense,” Clare said. “She was posterior. It was about a 12-hour labour – the part at home, and then the time in midwifery.
“We got into the hospital at 2am and she was born at 10am.
Jesse said: “It was strong right from the get-go. There wasn’t a build-up.
“The contractions just sort of started coming thick and fast, so we rang, and the midwives assessed the situation, and told us to come in.
“It didn’t feel short to me. No, it felt long. It was right through the night.
“You are first-time parents, you don’t know what to expect. All the midwives were great, calming, just helping us through.
“It is an eye-opening experience for a start. They help you through it. It was really good. It isn’t as if we were panicking, but their explanations and support really help.
“They explain what is going on and reassure you, things like, ‘This is natural, this is the transition phase’, and explain what they’re expecting next. They physically held Clare at the difficult time and helped her through, saying, ‘This is good, this is what we want, you are getting through to the next phase’.
“We could see and hear the midwives checking on the baby, and that’s reassuring, so we can concentrate on getting through the contractions.”
Clare agreed: “They were definitely very supportive, especially memorable the first time round, when we had no idea what was going on. The second birth was quicker, only a few hours. You recover much faster.
“Strangely, this last birth was my most difficult. I was induced due to some blood-pressure issues that came up just in the last week. The first two girls came at 39 weeks, and with Ivy we were at 40 weeks with no sign of labour.
“And it took a while for the induction to work, so it felt like a struggle. We thought maybe just breaking my waters would work, but that wasn’t the case.
“She was posterior and it did feel hard. I used the gas, but I didn’t want an epidural, and can’t have morphine. Changing positions helped. It was good that the midwives are always there to say, ‘Oh well that’s not working, let’s try this’, and make the suggestions, because at that stage you want the guidance. I’m just so grateful that we are able to have babies not too far from home.”
Jesse said: “Yes, Kerang and Cohuna (hospitals) aren’t delivering babies, so we’re very thankful to come to Swan Hill.
“You can tell that everyone who works here, that they do actually love their job. It’s not just that they have to be there.
“They enjoy being there and dealing with all of the different things, and enjoy caring for the families. I think that’s a big part of it. It is a brilliant service.”
DR MONIKA TRIVEDI, OBSTETRICIAN
DR Trivedi says SHDH has quality and consistency of care.
“The midwives respect us, in our field of expertise, and we respect them, that they are individual clinicians and they have the right to make their decisions,” she said.
“Another good thing about this service is that you have your three fixed obstetricians, so there is continuity. It is just like you are getting private obstetric care. We come when we are called and you get direct care from us, a consultant.
“The care in labour is very well managed. It is such a good vaginal birth rate, 69 per cent, and good outcomes for mothers and babies. This is very good in today’s world.
“People are giving their 110 per cent. This small service is doing an amazing job.
“The staff working in the regional areas are very competent.
“In regional areas you need to have greater skill set, and so the clinical staff have that skill set.
“The midwives are so patient. They do not like that concept of sending the patients home too quickly.
“They believe so much in supporting the mother, supporting the partner, supporting the baby and that’s inherent to all of them. The midwives are very passionate and compassionate towards the patients.”
