ACT Health has launched three new initiatives to support pregnant people and new parents.
12 September 2024
In brief:
ACT Health has launched three new initiatives to support pregnant people and new parents. These are:
- Maternity in Focus survey – gathering feedback on ACT public maternity care
- INFANT program – offering first-time parents free support with feeding and playing with their babies.
- My Pregnancy Options website – covering everything from pregnancy options and decision making to abortion and contraception options in Canberra.
Maternity in Focus survey
The new Maternity in Focus: ACT Maternity Survey is now underway.
The survey will help gather insights into the experiences of women and birthing people in the ACT.
It invites people to share feedback about their pregnancy, birth and postnatal care, particularly in terms of what is being done well and how maternity care in the ACT public health system can continue to be improved.
“This survey is open to any woman or person who gives birth in the ACT through public maternity care and whose baby is in their care. This includes non-ACT residents who give birth in the ACT,” Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer Marina Buchanan-Grey said.
Anyone who gives birth in the ACT after 1 September 2024 through public maternity care can complete the survey. It will remain ongoing.
Parents can find the survey postcard inside their ‘blue book’.
Alternatively, it is available online.
Free sessions for new parents about feeding and play for babies
The new INFANT program will support first-time parents with feeding and playing with their babies.
INFANT stands for INfant Feeding, Active play and NuTrition.
The program supports parents and babies with:
- introducing solids
- food refusal and fussy eating
- tummy time
- active play ideas, and
- strategies for limiting screen time.
You can also share experiences and ideas with other Canberra parents and carers.
How the program works
INFANT consists of 4 group sessions when your baby is approximately 3, 6, 9 and 12 months old.
These face-to-face sessions run for around 90 minutes.
The sessions are in:
- Belconnen
- Gungahlin
- Molonglo Valley
- Tuggeranong.
The free sessions are run by community partner Capital Region Community Services.
Register to attend a session
You can register into the program if your baby is less than 4 months old.
My Pregnancy Options website
The new My Pregnancy Options website is now live.
It features information on reproductive health services in the ACT, all in one place.
The content covers pregnancy, contraceptive and abortion options and is:
- accurate
- reliable
- pro-choice
- accessible.
Community health organisation Women’s Health Matters developed the website with ACT Government funding.
“You can use the website to help you make a choice, to understand your choices, or to help someone you know,” Women’s Health Matters CEO Lauren Anthes said.
The website contains a list of GPs and clinics that provide no-cost abortion services.
It was developed in collaboration with a Consumer Advisory Group of women and gender diverse people. These people have lived experience of having an abortion or experiencing barriers accessing healthcare in the ACT.
Visit the My Pregnancy Options website.
The Maternity in Focus: ACT Maternity Survey survey will help ACT Health gather insights into the experiences of women and birthing people in Canberra.
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