MP praises work of birth clinic

Liberal MP Donna Faragher had just told family and close friends she was pregnant with her second child when things started to go wrong.

A routine check-up at 15 weeks revealed a rare and serious complication, with a ruptured membrane around her unborn baby putting her at risk of a dangerously early premature birth.

But the former minister was taken under the care of King Edward Memorial Hospital, and staff helped Mrs Faragher’s pregnancy last till 37 weeks, when Harry was born in perfect health.

“It gave me an incredible insight into the amazing work the doctors and midwives do, and Harry is living proof that the early identification of problems in pregnancy can make a huge difference,” she said.

The State Government will today announce funding of more than $500,000 to extend a trial of a specialist clinic at KEMH to reduce the rate of preterm births by one-third.

Since the Woman and Infants Research Foundation trial started last November, 186 women have attended the clinic.