An expansion to services offered by West Moreton Health’s Jaghu Maternal and Infant Program will provide care for not only mother and baby, but the whole family.

In addition to the child health clinics launched in April, Jaghu now provides antenatal care with dedicated midwives delivering clinical care throughout pregnancy until the baby is six weeks old. The addition of midwifery services means women receive continuity of care throughout their pregnancy and ensures a seamless transition to Jaghu’s child health nurses, who support babies until the age of two.

However, First Nations fathers are not forgotten with a dads group to launch in early August.

Jaghu Clinical Midwife Consultant Nicole Moller said this wrap-around care ensured every family received the support they required in a culturally safe environment. She said the aim of Jaghu was to ensure First Nations babies thrived and the team would care for each child until they were two, including supporting children in kinship care, such as those living with grandparents, or children not placed with their families.

"Support is going to look different for each family. Some families might just need us to help them link in with services, but others might need a little more, such as ongoing practical support though our social worker,” Ms Moller said.

Nervous dads will be reassured with a fathers group led by Jaghu Senior Social & Wellbeing Officer Valentine Brown. Whether it is helping write a resume, lending a listening ear or providing practical advice, Mr Brown will help new dads link in and connect with culture.

“The Jaghu Dads Yarning Group will be open to any dad involved in the service and I already have five men interested. I will be open to any questions and it will basically be led by them,” Mr Brown said.

Director of Paediatrics Dr John Waugh will be a guest speaker at the first meeting.

Ms Moller encouraged First Nations women to make use of the Jaghu service during their pregnancy and said it was as simple as being referred by their GP.

“We use the exact same system that is in place for referrals to Ipswich Hospital," Ms Moller said. "Women should ask their GP to write 'Jaghu' or note their Indigenous status on the referral form. Anyone already receiving antenatal care through the Ipswich Hospital can ask their midwife or obstetrician.”

The Jaghu clinic is at Bremer Medical Centre, Building F, 11 Salisbury Rd, Ipswich, and is open from 8.30am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.