Meet Bonnie Scott, Galen Coyle and little Lilah-Mae

For Bonnie Scott, the support of her midwife Anna Bianchi held her steady through the ups and downs of her pregnancy and the birth of her daughter, Lilah-Mae.

Bonnie and her partner, Galen Coyle, moved to Avoca in 2021. When Bonnie became pregnant with their second baby, she turned to her mum for advice. Bonnie’s mum had birthed Bonnie’s brother at Maryborough Hospital. “She’d had such a positive experience, which made me feel really positive about Maryborough.”

After being referred to MDHS by her GP, Dr Francois Nieuwoudt, Bonnie met midwife Anna Bianchi who explained she would have the same midwife supporting her the whole way through the pregnancy, labour and beyond the birth, and helping to coordinate any additional care or healthcare providers that was needed over that time. “Ahead of my next visit Anna called and said she would be my midwife. I was super-excited as she was really lovely.”

As the pregnancy progressed, it became clear that Lilah-Mae, like her brother, was larger than average. Bonnie booked in to birth her baby at Ballarat Hospital because she needed specialist support. 

During her labour Bonnie faced some challenging moments, but after a phone-call to Anna, she felt clear and able to trust herself to communicate her wishes to her medical team. Anna was also on-call to consult with the team given she knew Anna’s history and wishes. “I trusted Anna a lot and knew that she was going to have my best interests at heart and that she knew exactly what I wanted and how I would feel.”

Lilah-Mae was born a healthy 9 pounds. Bonnie says her experience since transitioning home has been much more positive than after her first child, in big part due to Anna and the team’s attention and care. “I’ve had home visits where they come out to me – which have been really good as it’s not always easy to make it out. I can feel Anna’s connection. You can feel that she genuinely cares – it’s not just her job. She was so excited to come and meet the baby.”

Like her mum, Bonnie feels so grateful to the midwives of MDHS. “The midwives and the experience I had throughout my whole pregnancy were amazing.”