The KemKem Yanga Midwifery Group Practice (MGP) is up and running again following the successful recruitment to all four clinical midwife positions.
The model of care is now available for women who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
Women who are having a baby who identifies are also welcome to birth in this service.
Tracey Middleton is the newest member of the team and arrived in Mackay about four weeks ago with her husband and three children in the middle of the heatwave from New Zealand.
Tracey has spent the past 15 months in New Zealand where she worked with Maori and Pacific Island women.
She qualified as a midwife in 2010 and says she is enjoying her first experience working in a midwifery group practice.
“I was attracted to the independence of the role yet also being part of a team, and the ability to provide continuity of care to women,” she said.
Tracey said her first impressions were positive.
“Everyone has been super supportive and helpful and I’m learning a lot about First Nations women.
“I’m building up trust with my women to encourage them to access all the care and support they need to keep them safe and healthy during their pregnancy.”
Each midwife will support 35 to 40 women a year to birth. Madison Bailey joined Maternally Yours MGP for her post graduate year in 2019 and then moved across to the KemKem Yanga for six months before the service temporarily closed.
“I really enjoyed my time with KemKem then and particularly enjoyed working with the women outside the hospital setting.
“I saw a lot of positive outcomes and felt I was able to make an impact on their care and make sure there were good outcomes for mum and baby.
“The women really loved it, they trusted us a lot more. Because we do follow ups at home for six weeks after the baby is born it was lovely to have that close contact and see them grow as mums.”
Brooke Barnes has had the joy of supporting the first two women to birth this month.
“I was part of Maternally Yours from 2019 to the beginning of 2021 and then worked in the core maternity unit.
“When I saw the EOI for KemKem l was interested because I like building up relationships with women, being there at their birth and I enjoy the trust we share,” she said.
LaToya said her role was to help women keep connected with community and support them throughout their pregnancy.
“I can attend appointments with them if they like and link them with other services outside of Queensland Health,” she said.
The midwives run clinics at Carlisle Community Health and Mackay Children and Family Centre at Andergrove.
“It makes it easier for First Nations women to see us, they can easily find a carpark and it helps connect them with services outside the hospital so they build wider connections.
“We can also link families in with child health so as bub gets older they keen keep going in for check-ups and immunisations,” she said.
