post-graduate nurses and undergraduate nursing students.
SOUTH Gippsland Hospital (SGH) in Foster and the Foster Medical Centre (FMC) are inviting women in this special corner of Gippsland, from Inverloch to Yarram and everywhere in between, to “come and have your baby with us!”
SGH midwives, together with the FMC’s General Practitioner Obstetricians (GPOs), are now opening their doors to offer caring and quality services to the region’s prospective and current mothers-to-be.
SGH Chief Executive Officer Paul Greenhalgh said “a shared care model exists in Foster, where the SGH midwives work together with FMC GPOs to provide holistic perinatal care for you and your baby.
“As a Level 3 Maternity Care Hospital, low-risk pregnancies are accepted for birthing here at SGH,” he said.
“Women who are seen as a higher risk are usually welcome to receive antenatal and postnatal care here at our hospital, in collaboration with specialist input.”
One of three GPOs at the FMC, Dr Ruyu Yao, explains that, “we work closely with obstetricians at larger referral hospitals to ensure a safe outcome, and we do share care, even if women need to have their baby in a bigger centre.”
Another FMC GPO, Dr Owen Casson, adds that, “we are delighted to once again open up our service to women from further afield now that things have settled following COVID-19.”
“The team at SGH works with us from the FMC to meet the goals of women and we all work well together to provide safe and rewarding care,” he said.
“Foster Medical Centre and the South Gippsland Hospital also collaborate with other agencies to ensure that families receive appropriate services before, during and after birthing.”
SGH Senior Midwife Deb Howard describes the Hospital’s seven-day-a-week maternity care model as “a 24/7 service, which includes an emergency response team in the unlikely event that a time-critical response is required.
“We have a very experienced group of midwives, along with a lactation consultant, to work alongside families to provide optimal care to the family unit,” she said.
“In 2020, a major refurbishment was undertaken of the birth suite at SGH, providing a contemporary setting for women and families, as well as state-of-the-art-equipment for the maternity care team.”
Ms Howard said the Hospital routinely runs an antenatal education class for expectant parents several times a year at the SGH Community Health Centre in Station Road.
“We also present every woman who books in to give birth at SGH with our antenatal gift pack, with copies of our 12-page Information about having a baby at South Gippsland Hospital and Getting back into shape physiotherapy brochures.
“The pack also includes almost two dozen pamphlets, cards and booklets on a range of relevant and important topics from trusted sources like the Royal Women’s Hospital in Melbourne, Safer Care Victoria, the Australian Government Department of Health, and the Child Accident Prevention Foundation of Australia,” she said.
‘Parents will find valuable information about nutrition and exercise during and after pregnancy, using child car restraints safely, dental care, immunisation, health screening for you and your baby, family support services, and children and pets.”
Both SGH and the FMC teams are dedicated in their care and support of “our” expectant parents during the course of pregnancy, through the birthing process and those early days following the baby’s arrival, and continuing on after the family goes home.
Mothers’ testimonials
What do mothers who have had their babies at SGH have to say? Here are some testimonials:
“Birthing at SGH was a beautiful experience. Everyone took time to explain things, listened to me carefully and really followed our plan.”
“Thank you for the warm welcome and wonderful care we received after the birth of our daughter. Your smiles and support made this journey a pleasant one.”
“I’m so grateful to have had my birth experience and receive the finest care at SGH. Everyone was so warm, respectful and professional.”
“We were so impressed with the midwives and staff at SGH. So well cared for and supported. It made all the difference in our birth and trip home. We will not forget how well we were looked after.”
“Thank you for making me feel so safe and supported in my birth plan. Care from the antenatal period through to midwife after care at home was exceptional.”
Learn more about having your baby at South Gippsland Hospital on the SGH website at
Book in today at the Foster Medical Centre, 97 Station Road, Foster, on 5682 2088.
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