CARE midwifery

28/08/2026

01/07/2026

Have the hugest love and respect for the amazing, kind, gentle but incredible wisdom and strength of wise woman Tracey Anderson-Askew and all that she and Transform Parenting brings to our local families, from the life (and birth) changing Transform Parenting classes right through to the Thriving as a New parent groups and the Parenting Village. 🥰❤️

So much support stops right when families need it most. 🤍
The baby arrives. The appointments reduce. The meals stop. Everyone assumes you're getting on with it.
But inside the home, a whole new world is forming. Sleep changes. Relationships shift. Identity rearranges itself. Confidence rises and falls. Feeding can be tender. The nervous system is stretched.
And parents need somewhere to bring the real questions.
This is why our support continues beyond birth. Because birth is not the end of the story. It is the beginning of the becoming.
Explore The Parenting Village or Thriving as a New Mum for support after birth. Link in bio. 🕊️

25/06/2026

Excited to announce that from June 29th, Mel will be back providing expert lactation and midwifery care from Rutledge Family Medical centre. Really happy to be back providing women centred and evidence-based care for Queanbeyan region families and working in collaboration with the fabulous medical team at Rutledge FMC. Mel has almost 30 years of midwifery experience across all maternity care models and is a very experienced IBCLC with 10 years of working closely with new families needing expert lactation and feeding support.
Both Mel and Chrissie continue to provide home visits as well.
Because we are Medicare Endorsed midwives, families are able to access significant medicare rebates for midwife IBCLC consultations if baby is aged under 7 weeks. So if you're struggling with BF difficulties or just needing some encouragement, support and kindness as you navigate these early weeks, call and seek out professional support early.
Chrissie is currently having a well earned holiday and attending the International Midwifery Congress In Portugal but will be back in August.
Please call Rutledge Family Medical Centre on 62972122 for clinic appointments. Or call Mel on 0400708262 for further information or to seek at home consultations.

Send a message to learn more

03/06/2026

Did you know Care Midwifery is now in its 10th year of practice? 10 amazing years of doing our thing - working with women and families to provide experienced, woman-centred expert care. Kindness is our thing.❤️

03/06/2026

Useful information to consider for parents told baby has a lip tie.
In my many years experience of working with Mothers who hve a baby with oral ties, tongue ties and cheek restricted tissue play a much bigger role in feeding issues then lip ties do.
Having said that, I have seen the occasional baby that struggled with feeding until the lip tie was released. But they are few and far between and I think all other feeding issues need to be addressed before considering lip releases.
I really don’t think there’s enough evidence to support releasing lip ties just because of “potential future dental or aesthetic reasons”.
Releasing a lip tie that isn’t problematic means two wounds - two sites that are tender and two sites to consider bleeding. We should not be snipping lip ties just because “we’re already doing the tongue so let’s just do the lip while we’re here”.
If you’re baby has been diagnosed with tongue and or lip ties and you’re not sure whether you need to go down the path of release or not. Or if you’re having feeding issues and are concerned your baby may have a tie, please reach out to Chrissie and myself for a home visit - for expert advice and feeding and oral assessment.

The top lip stays pretty neutral during breastfeeding, so the upper lip frenulum shouldn't be a problem.

04/02/2026

Tips for the many parents out there who at some point may need to feed by bottle or who have chosen bottle feeding. Here’s what we mean when we talk about paces bottle feeding!

Paced bottle feeding is all about giving your baby more control during a feed. By slowing things down and creating natural pauses, you’re helping them stay comfortable, avoid taking in too much too quickly, and tune in to their own hunger cues.

How to pace a bottle feed:
• Sit your baby upright, roughly a 45-degree angle, with their head and neck supported. This helps them manage the flow more easily.
• Invite the latch by brushing the teat against their lip and waiting for that wide, ready mouth before offering the bottle.
• Keep the bottle horizontal, so the teat is only half-filled with milk. This stops the milk from pouring in and gives your baby a chance to set the pace.
• After three to five sucks, gently lower the bottle to pause the flow. These small breaks let them breathe, swallow, and reset before carrying on.
• Keep an eye on their fullness cues. Turning away, pushing the bottle out, or drifting off are all signs they’ve had enough.

Why it matters:
Pacing helps prevent overfeeding, reduces wind and posseting (where baby overflows milk), and makes feeds feel much calmer. It’s also brilliant for babies who switch between breast and bottle, as it mirrors the natural stop-start rhythm of breastfeeding. Most importantly, it supports responsive feeding, letting your baby lead the way and learn when they’re hungry and when they’re full.

[Image description: Step-by-step infographic from Derbyshire Family Health Service on paced bottle feeding, with gentle holding tips and illustrations.]