The cost of essentials has been increasing dramatically. That is putting considerable financial pressure on couples. So many are now struggling to pay their mortgage, rent, electricity and gas bills, food, other essential household goods, etc. It is very difficult time financially for so many. But as well you want to have a baby. What do you do? Find savings elsewhere It is very tempting to quit your health fund membership or scale it back if money is tight. Sadly, you need top level of hospital cover with your fund to have pregnancy cover, and so if you scale it back you may be covered for a ..read more

For staff on the wards, patients, husbands / partners, visitors there is now no requirement that they wear facemasks. The hospital has gone back to the pre-Covid recommendations for use of facemasks, e.g. by a doctor when operating. The post Facemasks are no longer mandatory at Norwest Private Hospital appeared first on Obstetric Excellence ..read more

As it is no longer mandated by NSW Health that face masks must be worn for patients and doctors for consultations in private practice we have decided to cease advising patients and their husbands/ partners that’s face masks must be worn for consultations. I have for a long time been sceptical about the benefit of facemasks that most people wear in preventing Covid spread. In support of my view a recent Cochrane study of 12 trials comparing medical/surgical masks versus no masks to prevent the spread of viral respiratory illness (two trials with healthcare workers and 10 in the community) repor ..read more

Below is an article by Ellen Connolly of the Sunday Telegraph January 27, 2008 I had it saved on my computer. I could not find the original online. But as it is has very information and has already been in the public domain I have decided to share it on my website. “AUSTRALIAN scientists have made the world-first discovery that a pregnant woman’s diet determines whether her baby grows into a fat adult or a skinny one. The research suggests women who are overweight before they fall pregnant, and during it, may condemn their children to a life of overeating and obesity. It reveals that a mo ..read more

What does engagement of my baby’s head mean? Your baby’s head is engaged when the widest diameter of the head passes through the brim of your pelvis. A pregnant woman will often know this because of a very intense feeling of fullness in her pelvis. Some women have described it is a feeling like there is bowling ball in their pelvis. As well, she may have a feeling the baby “having dropped” (called “lightening”). She may be aware the height of the baby in her abdominal cavity is less, she may have less heartburn, etc. Does baby’s head stay engaged? Sometimes a baby’s head can be engaged one day ..read more

I will be away overseas between Thursday 22nd February 2024 and Sunday 17th March 2024. That means I will not be available to deliver your baby between those dates. You will not be able to book with me for pregnancy care if your EDC is in this away time period. Working back, I will not be able to deliver your baby if you conceive in the menstrual month with the first day of your LMP between 18th May 2023 and 11th June 2023. This calculation assumes you ovulate on day 14 of your cycle. The exception is if your dating scan indicates if you did not ovulate on day 14 and have ..read more

I have a busy obstetric practice. I endeavour to keep to appointment times and so patients are usually not having to wait to see me.  Because of this, I usually have an empty waiting room. The origins of keeping to appointment times this go back to when my wife, Robyn, was pregnant. Her obstetrician was always running late. It was not unusual for her to have to wait one to even two hours for her to see him for brief antenatal visit. I had just started my obstetrician training. I decided back then that when I was an obstetrician, I would also endeavour not to keep patients waiting. Time is ..read more

Yesterday a Westmead Public Hospital nurse who I know was telling me her brother’s partner recently had a baby at Westmead Private Hospital. She was not insured. She said she was charged $4000 for her management fee and another $4000 for her delivery fee. The obstetrician received $8000 plus Medicare rebates. As well she would have had to pay an anaesthetist (if she had an epidural), the paediatrician, and the hospital bills. I was upset about the excessive obstetrician bill. I have always been conscious of the financial pressures of many of my patients  and so have limited my fees to wha ..read more

Paula’s first pregnancy was managed as a public patient. She told the first time we met my management of her second pregnancy that a short cervix had been diagnosed in her first pregnancy at 23 weeks gestation. She said she was kept in hospital on bed rest for 5 weeks. Progesterone pessaries were administered daily. She was then allowed to go home and to continue bed rest at home. She developed hepatic cholestasis and so her labour was induced at 37 weeks 5 days gestation. Total duration of labour was 5 hours. She had a forceps delivery. There was third degree tear and a postpartum haemorrhage ..read more

Sushi has become a very popular healthy meal option over recent years. I am often asked by a pregnant patient can she still eat sushi while pregnant? It depends on what is in the sushi. Any sushi with raw or undercooked seafood should be avoided. Eating raw or undercooked fish can expose your growing baby to mercury, bacteria, and other harmful parasites. Some consider sushi with raw or undercooked seafood increases the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, uterine infection, and preterm delivery. Fish used in some sushi is at risk of containing high mercury levels. You certainly want to avoid any ..read more