For GPs
The Facts:
Start Life with the Same Midwife
Care from the same midwife or midwifery 'continuity of care', throughout pregnancy, birth and postnatally provides excellent outcomes for women and babies.
Midwives are qualified to care for women and birthing people before, during and after pregnancy and birth, including delivering babies.​ Operating under the Australian National Safety and Quality, and Consultation and Referral Guidelines, midwives refer or consult with other clinicians, such as obstetricians, when care falls outside their scope of practice ensuring the safety of women and their babies. Midwives provide ongoing support for women after the birth of their baby for up to six weeks postnatally so they can Start Motherhood with the Same Midwife as well.
How GPs can help
GPs can assist by referring women to midwife continuity of care public services such as midwifery group practice (MGP) or family birth centres, or by directing them to a privately practising midwife. Some useful links to find midwives who provide continuity of care are in the Directory section of the website.
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Women who have continuity of midwifery care are more likely to have a positive pregnancy, birth and postnatal experience.
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Women who have continuity of midwifery care are more likely to have a spontaneous vaginal birth.
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Continuous midwifery-led care reduces medical intervention such as episiotomy, caesarean section and instrumental delivery such as forceps & vacuum.
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Midwifery continuity of care is high value and costs less for the woman and health services, with cost savings during antenatal & labour periods.
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Continuity of midwifery care is provided in less than 20% of Australian models of maternity health care.
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The broader implementation of continuity of midwifery care into Australian health services requires system-wide change.
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In 2024, the World Health Organization released their position on transitioning to midwifery models of care as a "cost-effective, urgently needed solution to save and improve the lives and well-being of women and newborns globally, while respecting human rights".
References
Australian College of Midwives 2021, National Midwifery Guidelines for Consultation and Referral, ACM, Canberra., https://www.midwives.org.au/common/Uploaded%20files/_ADMIN-ACM/National-Midwifery-Guidelines-for-Consultation-and-Referral-4th-Edition-(2021).pdf
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2023), Maternity models of care in Australia 2023, https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/mothers-babies/maternity-models-of-care/contents/what-do-maternity-models-of-care-look-like/designated-and-collaborative-carers
Sandall J, Fernandez Turienzo C, Devane D, Soltani H, Gillespie P, Gates S, Jones LV, Shennan AH, Rayment-Jones H. Midwife continuity of care models versus other models of care for childbearing women. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2024, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD004667. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004667.pub6. ​
World Health Organization; (2024). Transitioning to midwifery models of care: global position paper. Geneva. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/379236/9789240098268-eng.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Styles C, Kearney L, George K. Implementation and upscaling of midwifery continuity of care: The experience of midwives and obstetricians. Women Birth. 2020 Jul;33(4):343-351. doi: 10.1016/j.wombi.2019.08.008. Epub 2019 Aug 29. PMID: 31474386