Passion for complex pregnancy care brings national experts to the north

Complications of pregnancy and conditions diagnosed in the womb including fetal growth disorders and heart and genetic abnormalities are the focus of the first-ever maternal fetal medicine (MFM) conference in Townsville over the weekend.

Hosted by Townsville University Hospital’s NQ MFM Unit, the conference will feature national and local experts in the fields of maternal health, neonatology, and fetal sonography.

Director Dr David Watson said the conference was the first time so many experts in the field had gathered in north Queensland.

“Ours is the only dedicated maternal fetal medicine service in the region and we look after mothers with high-risk, complex pregnancies and multiple pregnancies like twins and triplets,” he said.

“The conference is an opportunity to hear from interstate experts as well as our local medical specialists on the detection, care, and management of mothers with complications of pregnancy and babies with fetal abnormalities.”

Dr Watson said teamwork was key to the success of the MFM unit.

“We are very fortunate to have experienced MFM midwives and sonographers as part of this specialised area of mother and baby care,” he said.

Dr Watson said education was fundamental to the delivery of a world-class MFM service and the conference was a major teaching and learning opportunity for local clinicians.

“Conference delegates include obstetricians, sonographers, midwives and radiologists and they will have the chance to hear from renowned specialists in their respective fields,” he said.

“We are fortunate to have Professor John Newnham, professor of obstetrics and MFM subspecialist from the University of Western Australia, and Professor Sue Walker, head of obstetrics, gynaecology, and newborn health at the University of Melbourne as two of our keynote speakers.

“This is a rare opportunity to hear from among Australia’s foremost authorities on MFM right here in Townsville.”

Dr Watson said MFM was an ‘incredibly rewarding specialty’.

“Pregnant women understandably have a degree of anxiety about their pregnancies and are hypervigilant to anything going wrong,” he said.

“Our specialty provides reassurance by successfully managing high-risk pregnancies and, in cases where something is not going as well as we would like, we can have honest and open conversations with women and their partners,” he said.

Dr Watson said the service performed around 3,500 scans each year and had seen more than 2,700 women since last July.

“We’re very proud of our service and very much looking forward to this weekend and the new learnings it will bring,” he said.