Antenatal Shared Care at The Doctors Glendale: Your Pregnancy, Closer to Home
The Doctors Glendale provides bulk billing antenatal shared care in partnership with John Hunter Hospital and other local maternity units for patients across Glendale, Cardiff, Edgeworth, Cameron Park, Wallsend, and the broader Lake Macquarie and Hunter region. Under the shared care model, most of your routine pregnancy appointments are managed by your GP at our Glendale clinic, with specialist reviews and delivery care provided by your hospital team. Saturday morning appointments are available. Book your first antenatal appointment before 10 weeks.
For expectant families in the western Lake Macquarie and lower Hunter area, the prospect of attending every pregnancy appointment at a major hospital can feel daunting. The distance, the waiting times, the parking, and the impersonal nature of large maternity units are all factors that make antenatal shared care an appealing alternative. With shared care through The Doctors Glendale, you spend the majority of your pregnancy appointments at a clinic you know, with a GP who understands your health history, while your hospital team remains responsible for the care that requires their specialist input.
Our GPs at The Doctors Glendale support expectant patients from the first positive pregnancy test through to postnatal recovery, coordinating closely with John Hunter Hospital and other local maternity services throughout.
How Antenatal Shared Care Works
Antenatal shared care divides your pregnancy appointments between your GP and your hospital maternity team according to a structured schedule. The majority of routine check-ups, including blood pressure monitoring, growth measurements, blood tests, and general pregnancy reviews, are conducted at your GP clinic. Your hospital team handles specialist assessments, key ultrasounds, and your delivery.
The two teams communicate through a shared pregnancy record that travels with you to every appointment. This record is updated at each visit, ensuring that both your GP and your hospital team always have a complete and current picture of your pregnancy. You are not the only link between them.
Shared care is supported by strong evidence and is widely used across Australia for low-risk pregnancies. It reduces the burden on hospital outpatient departments while maintaining the clinical oversight that pregnancy requires. For families in Glendale, Cardiff, Edgeworth, and Cameron Park, it also means far less travel for routine appointments.
Not every pregnancy is suitable for shared care. Women with certain chronic conditions, those carrying multiples, or those who develop complications during pregnancy may require more hospital-based management. Your GP will assess your suitability at your first appointment and will remain in close contact with your hospital team if your care needs change.
Our Shared Care Partnership with John Hunter Hospital
John Hunter Hospital is the major tertiary maternity centre for the Hunter New England region and the hospital that most of our Glendale patients choose for their delivery. The Doctors Glendale has an established shared care arrangement with John Hunter Hospital, and our GPs follow the shared care schedule and documentation requirements set by the hospital maternity team.
For patients who prefer to deliver at a different maternity unit, we can discuss shared care arrangements with other local hospitals at your first appointment. The process of setting up shared care and what it involves will depend on the hospital you choose, and your GP will walk you through the specifics.
One practical advantage of our Glendale location is proximity. The Doctors Glendale is well-placed for families in Cardiff, Edgeworth, Cameron Park, and Wallsend who may also be attending appointments at John Hunter Hospital or Lake Macquarie Private Hospital. Managing your routine pregnancy check-ups locally removes a significant amount of travel from an already busy period.
Your Pregnancy Appointments Trimester by Trimester
The structure of your antenatal appointments will follow the shared care schedule, with visits becoming more frequent as your due date approaches. Your GP at The Doctors Glendale will conduct the following at each stage:
First trimester (weeks 1 to 13):- Confirmation of pregnancy and estimated due date calculation
- Full medical, obstetric, and family history
- First trimester blood tests: blood group and Rhesus factor, full blood count, rubella immunity, hepatitis B and C, HIV, syphilis, varicella, and thyroid function
- Referral for dating ultrasound at 10 to 13 weeks
- Discussion of first trimester combined screening for chromosomal conditions including Down syndrome
- Folate, iodine, and vitamin D supplementation guidance
- Medication safety review
- Shared care enrolment with your hospital of choice
- Blood pressure and urine checks at each visit
- Symphysis-fundal height measurement from approximately 20 weeks
- Fetal heart rate assessment using a Doppler
- Referral for morphology ultrasound at 18 to 20 weeks
- Gestational diabetes screening with glucose challenge test at 24 to 28 weeks
- Iron and anaemia checks
- Mental health check-in using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)
- Fortnightly then weekly appointments as the due date approaches
- Continued blood pressure, urine, and growth monitoring
- Anti-D immunoglobulin for Rhesus negative patients at 28 weeks
- Group B streptococcus (GBS) swab at 35 to 37 weeks
- Assessment of fetal position and presentation
- Birth planning discussion including labour preferences, hospital admission, and pain relief options
- Postnatal planning including breastfeeding intentions, newborn care, and contraception after birth
Your GP will also advise you clearly on warning signs to watch for at each stage, including reduced fetal movement, unusual bleeding, severe headache, or sudden swelling, and will explain when to call the clinic and when to go directly to hospital.
Booking Your First Antenatal Appointment: When and What to Expect
The most important thing you can do when you find out you are pregnant is book your first GP appointment promptly. Ideally this should happen before 10 weeks, because several time-sensitive assessments and decisions need to be made in the first trimester, including first trimester combined screening, which has a specific window of validity.
Your first antenatal appointment at The Doctors Glendale will be longer than a standard consultation. Please let our reception team know when booking that it is a first antenatal appointment so sufficient time is set aside. You can book online at any time or call our clinic directly.
It is helpful to bring any previous pregnancy notes or obstetric history to your first appointment, along with a list of any medications or supplements you are currently taking. If you have a pre-existing condition such as thyroid disease, diabetes, or a clotting disorder, let the reception team know when booking so your GP can prepare accordingly.
Gestational Diabetes: Screening and Management at The Doctors Glendale
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) develops when pregnancy hormones interfere with the body’s ability to regulate blood glucose, leading to elevated levels that require management to protect both mother and baby. It affects approximately 10 to 15 percent of Australian pregnancies and often presents with no obvious symptoms, which is why routine screening is essential.
At The Doctors Glendale, we arrange a glucose challenge test (GCT) for all pregnant patients at 24 to 28 weeks. The test involves drinking a glucose solution and having a blood test one hour later. If the result exceeds the threshold, a more detailed oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is arranged to confirm or exclude a GDM diagnosis. Women at elevated risk, including those with a family history of type 2 diabetes, a BMI over 30, a previous GDM-affected pregnancy, or from certain ethnic backgrounds, are screened earlier.
For patients diagnosed with gestational diabetes, your GP at The Doctors Glendale will coordinate your care plan in collaboration with your hospital diabetes team. This typically involves a referral to a diabetes educator and dietitian, structured blood glucose monitoring, and follow-up appointments to review your management. The majority of women with GDM achieve good glucose control through dietary changes alone, with insulin or medication needed in fewer cases.
Antenatal and Postnatal Mental Health: An Integral Part of Your Care
Pregnancy and the postnatal period bring significant emotional and psychological adjustment for many women. Approximately one in five women experience clinically significant anxiety or depression during pregnancy, and one in seven experience postnatal depression. These figures are consistent regardless of whether a pregnancy is planned, whether it is a first or subsequent pregnancy, or whether external circumstances appear favourable.
At The Doctors Glendale, we treat antenatal and postnatal mental health as a clinical priority rather than an afterthought. Your GP will screen for anxiety and depression at multiple points across your pregnancy using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), a validated and widely used tool. Screening is repeated in the postnatal period, typically at your six-week check.
If you are experiencing low mood, persistent anxiety, intrusive or frightening thoughts, emotional numbness, or difficulty bonding with your pregnancy, please tell your GP. These experiences are more common than many women realise, and there is effective support available. Your GP can develop a Mental Health Treatment Plan providing access to Medicare-subsidised psychology sessions and can coordinate with your hospital team or refer to a perinatal mental health specialist where needed.
Nutrition, Exercise, and Preparing for Labour
Your antenatal appointments at The Doctors Glendale are also an opportunity to discuss the day-to-day aspects of a healthy pregnancy. Our GPs provide practical, evidence-based guidance on what to eat and what to avoid, how to manage common pregnancy symptoms, what level of physical activity is appropriate at each stage, and how to prepare for the birth itself.
Topics commonly covered across your antenatal visits include:
- Food safety in pregnancy: foods to avoid and safe preparation practices for reducing listeria and toxoplasmosis risk
- Supplementation: folic acid, iodine, iron, and vitamin D across different trimesters and how to take them effectively
- Managing nausea and morning sickness: practical strategies and, where needed, safe medications to reduce symptoms
- Exercise: what is safe at each trimester, pelvic floor work, and when to modify or stop
- Common discomforts: management of heartburn, round ligament pain, back pain, pelvic girdle pain, leg cramps, and sleep difficulties
- Labour preparation: birth plans, pain relief options, what to pack for hospital, and signs that labour is beginning
- Newborn care: safe sleep practices, breastfeeding expectations, and what to arrange before the birth
Where your needs go beyond what we can cover in a GP consultation, we will refer you to a local dietitian, physiotherapist, or antenatal educator. We have established relationships with allied health providers in the Cardiff and Glendale area.
Postnatal Care at The Doctors Glendale
Your relationship with your GP does not end at delivery. A postnatal review at around six weeks after birth is recommended for both parent and baby. This appointment covers your physical recovery, emotional wellbeing, breastfeeding, contraception options, and your baby’s growth, feeding, and development.
The weeks immediately following birth can be among the most challenging of a parent’s life, particularly for first-time parents or those without significant local support networks. If you are struggling before your six-week appointment, please do not wait. Call our clinic and let us know you need an earlier appointment. Postnatal depression, feeding difficulties, wound concerns, and exhaustion-related health issues are all valid reasons to come in sooner.
Saturday morning appointments at The Doctors Glendale are available for postnatal visits, which can be helpful for families where a partner can attend on a Saturday but not during the working week.
Bulk Billing for Pregnancy-Related Consultations at The Doctors Glendale
Bulk billing is available for eligible patients for all pregnancy-related GP consultations at The Doctors Glendale, including your antenatal check-ups throughout pregnancy and your postnatal visit. A small out-of-pocket fee may apply for non-eligible patients.
Pathology tests, ultrasounds, and specialist referrals arranged as part of your antenatal care attract Medicare rebates, with the gap varying depending on the individual provider. Your GP will give you a clear picture of any expected costs before arranging referrals.
Visit our Fees and Appointments page for full details.
Antenatal Shared Care Serving Cardiff, Edgeworth, Cameron Park and Lake Macquarie
Our Glendale clinic at 22A/387 Lake Road is conveniently located for expectant families from across the western Lake Macquarie and lower Hunter area. We see pregnant patients from Glendale, Cardiff, Edgeworth, Cameron Park, Wallsend, Charlestown, and surrounding suburbs who want to manage the majority of their pregnancy care locally rather than making repeated trips to John Hunter Hospital.
Saturday morning appointments are a practical option for women who work during the week or whose partners can only accompany them on weekends. Pregnancy appointments on Saturdays are available at our Glendale clinic from 9:00am to 1:00pm.
For families in the Argenton, Boolaroo, or Warners Bay area, the same antenatal shared care service is available at The Doctors Argenton.
Book Your First Antenatal Appointment at The Doctors Glendale
If you have just found out you are pregnant, or are planning a pregnancy and want to discuss pre-conception health with a GP, the next step is to make an appointment. Book as early as possible, ideally before 10 weeks, to ensure your first trimester care is set up correctly.
Book your first antenatal appointment online or call The Doctors Glendale on (02) 7204 2614. When booking, please let our team know it is a first antenatal appointment so adequate time is allocated. Weekday and Saturday morning appointments are available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does The Doctors Glendale do shared care with John Hunter Hospital?
Yes. The Doctors Glendale has an established shared care arrangement with John Hunter Hospital. We also work with other local maternity units depending on the hospital you choose. Your GP will set up your shared care enrolment at your first antenatal appointment.
When should I book my first antenatal appointment?
Book your first antenatal appointment as soon as you know you are pregnant, ideally before 10 weeks. First trimester screening has a specific time window, and setting up your shared care plan and early blood tests promptly means nothing is missed.
Is antenatal care bulk billed at The Doctors Glendale?
Bulk billing is available for eligible patients for all pregnancy-related GP consultations at The Doctors Glendale, including antenatal check-ups and the postnatal visit. A small out-of-pocket fee may apply for non-eligible patients.
Are Saturday antenatal appointments available at The Doctors Glendale?
Yes. The Doctors Glendale is open Saturday mornings from 9:00am to 1:00pm. Antenatal appointments are available on Saturdays, which is useful for patients who cannot attend during the working week or whose partners want to be present.
What happens if my pregnancy becomes high risk?
If complications arise or your pregnancy is identified as higher risk, your GP will adjust your care plan and may increase the proportion of your appointments managed by the hospital team. Your GP remains involved in your care throughout and continues to coordinate with your hospital team regardless of your risk category.
Can I use The Doctors Glendale for postnatal care after my baby is born?
Yes. We provide postnatal care for both parent and baby at The Doctors Glendale. A six-week postnatal check is recommended and is bulk billed for eligible patients. If you need support before then, book online or call us on (02) 7204 2614.
