Frequently Asked Questions

General I Appointments I Fees

If you think you may be in labour call St John of God – Geelong on 5226 8876, they will advise you of what to do and notify the on-call obstetrician.

  • The first step is to see your GP, they may organise some antenatal screening tests (These include full blood examination, blood group and antibody screen, rubella antibody status, syphilis serology, midstream urine, chlamydia, HIV, hepatitis B serology, hepatitis C serology, varicella, vitamin D and iron studies).

    Please note that having a dating scan before your first visit with the obstetrician is optional, if you would prefer to reduce cost during your pregnancy a dating scan is not necessary.

    Once you have a confirmed pregnancy, please organise a referral to one of our obstetricians or Geelong Maternity & Gynaecology as a practice. Once the referral is received by Geelong Maternity & Gynaecology we will call you to book an appointment.

  • Geelong Maternity & Gynaecology is a collaborative practice involving three obstetricians, you are not able to choose one obstetrician to remain with for your entire pregnancy.

    Your first antenatal consultation will be with the obstetrician of your choice, provided they have an available appointment within an appropriate timeframe.

    At your other antenatal consultations, you will be seen by the other obstetricians in our practice. This ensures that all our doctors do more than just meet you; they get to know you and understand your unique pregnancy journey.

    All of our patients are cared for by all three of our obstetricians during their pregnancy.

  • The obstetricians at Geelong Maternity & Gynaecology solely deliver our patients at St John of God - Geelong, we assume patients being seen at our practice will deliver with us, unless patients move interstate or overseas etc. during their pregnancy.

  • We recommend you contact your private health insurer to check the following:

    • Do you have cover for obstetrics, this includes delivery and for any pregnancy related admission you may have during your pregnancy?

    • Are there any additional costs you should expect such as an excess or co-payment?

    • Will your baby be covered should your baby require admission to the special care nursey?

  • Our obstetricians cover each other for leave, and we provide all care for patients from our practice at all times -including after hours, weekends and public holidays.

    If you have any pregnancy related problems you can call:

    • Geelong Maternity & Gynaecology on 5221 7632 during business hours, or:

    • St John of God – Geelong 5226 8876 after hours.

Appointments

  • As every pregnancy journey is unique, some patients will require more appointments than others.

    The standard schedule includes 13 appointments, and is outlined below:

    10, 14 - 16, 20, 24, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40

  • We recommend booking your first visit at approximately 10 weeks’ gestation, or earlier if you have any concerns.

    The obstetrician will review your medical, surgical and family history, as well as discuss your previous pregnancies (if any) to recognise any risks in pregnancy.

    A bedside scan will be conducted to confirm your due dates.

    If you had antenatal screening bloods performed by your GP these will be reviewed, otherwise a referral will be made to have these done and discussed at your next visit.

    You will be informed of the genetic testing which is available and a referral will be made if requested.

    The Geelong Maternity & Gynaecology model of collaborative obstetric care will be explained, and we will ensure you feel comfortable proceeding with this.

    Your information will then be passed onto St John og God - Geelong, who will create a file and be in contact with you.

  • At each of the visits your pregnancy to date will be reviewed and you will have the chance to ask any questions you may have.

    An ultrasound scan will be performed at most of your visits to ensure the wellbeing and check the development of your baby.

    You may contact the practice to organise an urgent visit outside the standard schedule of appointments if the need arises.

  • Prior to your visit at 28 weeks you will have undergone a Glucose Tolerance Test, these results will be discussed and if required you will be referred to an Endocrinologist for management and advice for the remainder of your pregnancy.

    In general, this visit is the same length as your other standard antenatal consultations and does not necessarily include more because of the fee charged.

    Please refer to “What does the pregnancy planning and management fee cover” for more information.

Fees

  • An additional fee is payable at 28 weeks, which is the beginning of the third trimester of pregnancy.

    This is known as the Pregnancy Planning and Management Fee. This fee is charged at 28 weeks because we understand that there will be other expenses that arise after your baby is born, and that minimising unexpected costs at a time when a new baby has arrived and household income falls is often a priority.

    By charging this fee at this time, we want to make your pregnancy experience more predictable, affordable and to lower your out of pocket expenses at the time of your baby’s birth.

    The pregnancy planning and management fee covers the 24-hour availability of a specialist obstetrician throughout your pregnancy to manage all pregnancy related matters.

    It also ensures that the obstetrician who attends your birth, regardless of the day or time, will be one of our team - someone you already know and who knows you.

    At Geelong Maternity & Gynaecology, “pregnancy planning and management” also means that we undertake a collaborative case review of all uncomplicated pregnancies, and provide specialist consultation and case management for complicated pregnancies.

    If you are admitted for inpatient care at any time in your pregnancy, it provides a specialist obstetrician to care for you for the entire admission, and additional specialist obstetric back up should a truly unexpected event arise.

    Whenever a surgical assistant is required for a planned birth, we also try to make this one of our team whenever possible.

  • During your pregnancy, you may opt to undergo genetic testing, the fees are outlined below:

    There will also be formal ultrasound scans that you will be referred for.

    The number of scans needed throughout a pregnancy may differ, but will generally include a 12-14-week nuchal translucency scan and a second trimester morphology scan.

    If you would like to enquire about these fees, please contact us and we can give you contact numbers for the most common service providers we usually refer to.

    The fees incurred by Geelong Maternity & Gynaecology do not cover services provided by other doctors, including Anaesthetists (for an epidural or caesar anaesthesia), Surgical Assistants, Paediatricians (a well-baby check before you are discharged and if a caesar is required a paediatrician will be present at the caesar), nor other associated with your stay in the Hospital/Day Surgery Unit. e.g. accommodation, pathology and, pharmacy etc.