Family Birthing Centre and Midwifery Group Practice Program
Our Family Birthing Centre offers a safe and comfortable setting in which healthy expectant women with uncomplicated pregnancies can give birth.
Its state-of-the-art facilities assist you to have an active labour and birth in a relaxed and informal environment that encourages the support of family and friends.
The centre has a warm, welcoming and non-clinical environment with no visible medical equipment. Its design principles support health and wellbeing by reflecting our connection to the living world.
All three birthing rooms are comfortably furnished with a birthing pool, comfortable day beds and chairs, as well as ensuites with separate shower and toilet.
Read more about the Family Birthing Centre experience.
Take a look at the Family Birthing Centre
Through our Midwifery Group Practice Program, a known midwife or group of midwives provides your primary pregnancy and after birth care. These midwives also work out of the Family Birthing Centre and work with other health professionals to personalise your pregnancy and birth.
Continuity of midwifery care has been shown to improve outcomes for families, including:
- greater birth satisfaction for parents
- safe birth outcomes for babies
- excellent breastfeeding outcomes
- reduced likelihood of birth interventions
- shorter hospital stay
- reduced likelihood of postnatal depression and access to support if necessary.
Our midwives specialise in supporting the natural birth process with highly personal attention and careful assessment.
Relaxed antenatal visits throughout your pregnancy will allow you to get acquainted with your midwife. At these visits you and your midwife will discuss:
- physical and emotional changes you may experience during pregnancy and birth
- the importance of exercise and a healthy diet
- changing family roles.
We offer care for healthy ‘low risk’ women who anticipate a normal pregnancy and birth. We are unable to accept women who have had a previous caesarean section or have a pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) over 35. See the eligibility criteria (PDF 208KB)for this service.
To be eligible for our care, you need to live within a 50 minute drive of Fiona Stanley Hospital. Women living south of the river will have their referrals prioritised.
If you live outside of the Perth metropolitan area you must be able to travel to Fiona Stanley Hospital for all your antenatal appointments. If this is not possible we recommend continuing care with your local health provider and applying to the centre one month before coming to Perth to have your baby. Due to our philosophy of continuity of care from a known midwife we are unable to save places for women in advance.
There is no cost for this service for Medicare eligible patients.
For more details on whether you are eligible phone 6152 9416.
Self-referral
You can self-refer online or by emailing a completed application form to the Family Birthing Centre.
Please note your application will be assessed against a list of eligibility criteria (PDF 208KB) as the centre offers care for healthy ‘low risk’ women who anticipate a normal pregnancy and birth.
Self-refer online
Complete and submit the online form (external site). You will be contacted by the Family Birthing Centre within a few business days.
Download and email your self-referral
- Download and complete the application form. You can either:
- print the form as a Word document (736KB) or as a PDF (535KB) and write your details in
- download the form as a Word document (736KB), save it to your computer and then enter your information.
- Send your completed application form via email to the Family Birthing Centre.
Information for health professionals
Please see the list of eligibility criteria (PDF 208KB).
Assessing your application
You will be notified by email when your application has been received and reviewed. Allocations occur monthly and you will be notified between 8 and 12 weeks of pregnancy if you have been offered a place at the Family Birthing Centre. During this time, please continue your pregnancy care with your general practitioner (GP), including the first trimester screening and prenatal blood tests.
If you are successful in obtaining a place at the Birthing Centre, a telephone consultation will be conducted between 12 and16 weeks of pregnancy to undertake a complete medical history and assess you against the FBC eligibility criteria.
To be eligible for our care, you need to live within a 50-minute drive of Fiona Stanley Hospital. As our birthing centre was commissioned primarily to service the South Metropolitan area, women living within this area will have their referrals prioritised.