Information About What to Expect for Each Type of Appointment
Breastfeeding Appointments
Your initial appointment will take one hour. We will thoroughly address any concern you have about breastfeeding. We are skilled in helping mothers with the full range of breastfeeding problems including pain, nipple damage, mastitis, blocked ducts, fussing at the breast, breast refusal, low supply, oversupply and functional lactose overload, feeding twins, mixed feeding and pumping. We will observe a feed, so please bring anything you need to support you with this, as well as your baby’s blue book. Additional appointments of 30-60 minutes duration may be required to meet your goals.
Unsettled Infants
These appointments are one hour, and take a very holistic picture of the mother-baby pair. We will address any feeding issues (breast or bottle), weigh and examine your baby to assess for any medical conditions, and offer ideas for managing the days and nights. The well-being and support of the parents are pivotal during these consults. Our broad skill set allows us to manage not just the unsettled infant, but the caregiver too. Please bring the baby’s blue book and anything you need to feed your baby.
Infant Sleep Support
These appointments are for one hour and both a parent and the baby or child need to attend. We offer infant sleep support that is honouring the baby’s biological sleep regulators and embraces cued care. Our sleep education is based in the principles of NDC (Neuroprotective Developmental Care), pioneered by Dr Pamela Douglas.
Pregnancy Appointments
Your initial appointment will be for 30-45 minutes. We will confirm your pregnancy, take a thorough history, examination and explain all your pregnancy care options. There are many tests that can be done early in pregnancy, and we will explain these in detail.
If you have already had some tests or ultrasounds, please bring copies of these along with you, or inform our receptionists where you have had these done and we can arrange a download before your appointment. Likewise, if you have an orange pregnancy record, please bring that too.
Any subsequent appointments will be 15-30 minutes in duration.
Contraception Appointments
Appointments to discuss your contraception needs can be done in 15-30 mins.
IUD and Implanon insertion and removals require a 30 minute appointment. A pre-insertion appointment will be needed prior to the day of actual insertion. The Practice Nurse will also be required to help.
Mental Health Consults
Depending on the complexity of the situation, 30-60 mins is best for an initial consult, especially if it is related to postnatal anxiety or depression. Usually the issues are multi-factorial and having a longer appointment allows us to evaluate both mother and baby issues.
Preparation of a GP Mental Health Care Plan needs 30 mins. In general, this is not possible to do at the first consult as we need to conduct a thorough assessment first.
We all have training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and are able to offer counselling services ourselves.
Women’s Health Appointments
We are able to manage the vast array of women’s health issues including: problematic periods (heavy, painful, irregular); contraception; pre-conception advice and education on optimising chances of pregnancy; infertility work-up; cervical screening; sexual health and menopause management. We are also GP’s and so can manage the vast array of medical issues that women may face.
Depending on how many problems you wish to discuss, appointment length will vary between 15-45 minutes. Please book the appropriate length appointment to get your issues addressed.
General Appointments
We are also GPs! Although we love helping mothers and babies thrive, we are happy to see anyone to address their medical problems. Depending on the number of issues to be discussed, please book the appropriate length appointment. 15 minutes is usually only long enough to address one concern.
Childhood Immunisations
We are able to offer childhood immunisations. These appointments will also include a thorough examination including weighing and measuring your baby; a developmental check; and answering any concerns you have. These are done in a 30 minute appointment time and are not bulk-billed. Please bring your child’s blue book with you.
Medical Terminations of Pregnancy
Up to 3 appointments may be required to ensure this is a safe process. An ultrasound and blood tests will be required prior to commencing the process, as well as a follow up blood test 6 days later. Initial appointment is 30-45 mins long, and subsequent appointments 15-30 mins long. The first appointment has a gap applied but the follow up appointments are bulk-billed.