Weipa midwife Tahlia-Bree O’Connor
In a remote pocket of Far North Queensland, one birthing service has celebrated a milestone.
Last month, the Weipa birthing service celebrated one year since opening its doors again after a 25-year closure – and happily welcoming 20 babies (12 girls and eight boys) to the world during its first year.
Over the past 12 months, this new service has provided local mums and families with dedicated, community-based support from baby’s first kicks to baby’s first breath.
Before May 2024, women were relocated to their closest hospital in Cairns – almost a ten-hour drive away – at 36 weeks pregnant, far away from their home, their family, and support network for about a month.
For mum Brittany, being able to have her second child, baby boy Morgan, only minutes from home has made all the difference for her and her growing family.
“It’s been awesome – it provides so much relief for a lot of people,” Brittany said.
“It’s not even just giving birth here, it’s being able to have all that prenatal and antenatal care and home visits from my midwife.
“Having the service close to home saved us so much time and money, and meant I could be supported by the community instead of in a hotel room by myself in Cairns.
“It also benefits mums so much, they can settle into motherhood a lot easier in their own home and surrounded by loved ones whether that’s friends or family.
“The midwives and surgical team were all amazing. Weipa has such an incredible service here now.”
Weipa midwife Tahlia-Bree O’Connor spent seven years at Cairns Hospital and spoke to mums-to-be who had to leave home, often for a month, to have a safe birth in hospital.
“In Cairns I met women who had travelled from Weipa and the Cape, leaving their family and everything they know behind,” Tahlia-Bree said.
“I was so excited when I heard birthing services were opening in Weipa after 25 years and I wanted to do my bit in supporting the community and the amazing women who live there.
“Everyone there is so stoked to be able to have their baby close to home, and in Weipa home is only three or five minutes away from the health service.
“Home and community mean everything out here, and it’s such a privilege to be part of that.
“Everyone just gets on with it here and puts their heart and soul into the community, and we put our heart and soul into making it the best and most safe service possible.
“Women, when they’re supported by loved ones, recover better and bond better with baby, which can lead to increased breast milk supply.
“They also tend to do well physically and mentally when they’ve got support from their family, their partner, and for some women, their other children.
“A lot of consideration and effort went into setting up this service, I’m so lucky I can reap the benefits of all that hard work and experience midwifery in a remote town like Weipa.
“It’s a privilege to provide support and care to some of the strongest women I’ve ever met - everyone should be really proud of what’s been achieved out here.”
Birthing in Weipa paused for 25 years
After being closed for 25 years Weipa’s birthing services recommenced last year.
Since 1999 the biggest challenge to getting the service back up and running was finding appropriate staffing – particularly enough doctors to meet the required minimum numbers to safely staff the roster.
Thanks to incredible recruitment efforts by Queensland Health, Weipa is now home to an incredible team of:
- obstetricians, including the Head of Obstetrics Dr John Hall
- clinical midwives who make up Weipa Midwifery Group Practice,
- nurses,
- allied health staff, and
- administration staff.
The Weipa Midwifery Group Practice (MGP) comprises of a midwifery unit manager, six clinical midwives, a women’s health physiotherapist, an Advanced Indigenous Health Worker, and a social worker, with the team supported by hospital doctors with skills in obstetrics and anaesthetics.
Since 22 May last year, the MPG has received 151 referrals for women from Weipa and the surrounding communities for support with their pregnancies, both antenatally and postnatally, including the 20 who chose to birth at Weipa.
Women may choose to birth away for their own reasons, including being closer to family and friends, as well as to access more complex medical care if required by their circumstances.
There are currently 76 women on the MGP’s case management books.