Pregnancy Care
Because pregnancy care is so important for your health and the health of your baby, it is free for all NZ citizens, residents and many other visa holders. Your midwife will give you advice on keeping yourself healthy in pregnancy and you will be offered regular appointments so your midwife can monitor your progress. Your midwife will be looking out for any signs that you or your baby are becoming unwell. Some conditions in pregnancy may not be obvious to the untrained eye, so attending appointments is vital. Your midwife will order blood tests and ultrasound scans as required. Please make sure you undertake these tests promptly so that any problems can be detected early. If any problems are indentified you will be referred to a hospital specialist, who will make a plan of care with you and your midwife.
Your midwife will talk to you about what you want for your pregnancy and will plan your care with you. You will be asked to think about the kind of labour and birth you would like and your preferences will be recorded. It is a good idea to attend a childbirth education course, especially if this is your first baby.
Franklin Midwives like to meet with you in the first trimester, usually before 10 weeks, as there are screening tests you may wish to have around 12 weeks.
Following this, appointments are generally every 4 weeks to 28 weeks, every 2 weeks to 36 weeks then weekly until your baby arrives. However there are often small changes to this to accommodate your personal needs.
Most antenatal care is provided at our clinic which is located upstairs at 5a Glasgow Road in Pukekohe. This is conveniently placed just off Manukau Road and opposite the newly built Franklin Hospital (no maternity services).