I recently met a newly appointed young obstetrician at the hospital. I asked her how she was going. She replied: “It is frightening”. She had finished her training four years earlier and now she was having to do things without the umbrella of the training programme and senior obstetrician support. It took me back to when I was at her stage in private practice. But in contrast I had far more clinical experience and better senior support in my training than newly qualified obstetricians today. I was so fortunate in this regard. I did seven years of my training in the United Kingdom working in th ..read more

When I started my obstetric training in most boy babies were circumcised. While some circumcisions were done because of religious reasons, most were done because it was considered medically to be good idea. It was considered there was less risk of women developing cervical cancer if sexual intercourse was with a circumcised rather than non-circumcised partner. This conclusion was based on studies which found than Jewish women had a lower incidence of cervical cancer. It was concluded this was because Jewish males were circumcised. It was subsequently realised that the lower incidence of cervic ..read more

I will be on holidays with my wife on an Antarctica Cruises from tomorrow, 21st February, until Monday 18th March. I have an excellent obstetrician colleague covering if needed. The office is open while I am away. My secretaries Kylee and Lauren will be available to make new pregnancy bookings for when I am back and for pregnancy questions and concerns. Also, the Birth(ing) units of the hospitals has midwives on duty 24 hours per day. The post Holiday appeared first on Obstetric Excellence ..read more

Whooping Cough and Pregnancy Pertussis (whooping cough) is caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. There is no evidence that if you develop whooping cough in pregnancy your baby will be harmed while it is inside you. The risk to your baby has to do with once your baby is born. The disease is highly infectious and most serious in babies under the age of 12 months. In young babies less than six months of age, the symptoms can be severe or life-threatening. Some of the complications of whooping cough in young babies include haemorrhage (bleeding), apnoea (stopping breathing for peri ..read more

Sadly, headaches can be common in early pregnancy. Why this is so is not known for certain. It is thought it may be because of hormone changes and increased blood volume in pregnancy. As well though pregnancy can be a time of anxiety and stress, fatigue, poor sleep, and these can be contributing factors. If a woman stops her usual coffee (no need) then she can experience caffeine withdrawal headaches. In early pregnancy morning sickness with nausea and vomiting can cause a degree of dehydration which can also bring on a headache. Hunger and low levels of blood sugar can trigger headaches. Sinu ..read more

My daughter Mandy Witt is a therapist. I have given her use of an office in my rooms to see clients. Her business is called Mandy Witt Therapy. Information is at  https://mandywitt.com. So, if you see someone you don’t know working in my rooms or non-pregnant people in the waiting room you will know what it is all about. The post My daughter Mandy appeared first on Obstetric Excellence ..read more

What is a miscarriage? Miscarriage which is also called spontaneous abortion is defined as the loss of a pregnancy before 20 weeks of gestation. In the first third of pregnancy, a miscarriage is called a first-trimester miscarriage. A miscarriage that occurs in the second third of pregnancy up to 20 completed weeks is called a second-trimester miscarriage. After 20 completed weeks in Australia a baby is considered to be legally viable and so a woman does not miscarry but rather experiences a preterm delivery.   Classification of miscarriage When t ..read more

What is my role in the pregnancy? You are a very important person! During pregnancy the mother of your baby is likely to be more tired, uncomfortable and emotional than usual. You can give her the extra support, attention, understanding, encouragement and love that she needs. Make her feel beautiful and special. Tell her how attractive she looks. Complement her outfits. Help more around the house. Take her out to dinner. Flowers are a good idea! Take her on a surprise romantic weekend away. Arrange a baby sitter if you have children. It is a good idea if you can attend the antenatal classes s ..read more

When is it good to travel? The best time to travel is when you are between 20th to 32nd weeks of your pregnancy. At this time of your pregnancy, you should out the other end of all the initial pregnancy concerns with miscarriage, nausea, etc and have completed all the early pregnancy testing. Between these weeks you are far enough away from term gestation that labour is unlikely and you are not so big that you will be too uncomfortable, have lots of swelling, excessive tiredness and possible pregnancy complications that are more common in advanced pregnancy. Unexpected and unpredictable devel ..read more

Pregnancy is an exciting time when you have new life (your baby) developing and growing in your uterus. I am regularly asked “what can I do?”, “what can’t I do?”, “what can I eat?”, “what can’t I eat?” etc. A mother-to-be wants to look after her precious cargo in her own special incubator and do everything she can to have the best pregnancy outcome possible. In the “Keeping Healthy” section I have information that will help you stay healthy in your pregnancy. I always endeavour to convey correct information and answers to questions in a way the mother-to-be can understand and be reassured. On ..read more