Mookai Maternal Health Care
Mookai has proudly supported families from Cape York Peninsula, the Torres Strait, and Gulf regions with maternal health care for nearly 40 years.
Our midwives work closely with our GP Obstetricians, midwife and nurse navigators, and our Social and Emotional Wellbeing team to ensure women and families with complex needs are well supported throughout their pregnancy and the early days after bub is born.
Mookai Maternal Health is available for all Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander families from rural and remote communities throughout the Cape York, NPA and Torres Strait Island regions whilst they are in Cairns. This includes non-Indigenous women who are pregnant with an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander baby.
Mookai Rosie is proud to offer Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultural Birth Workers for our clients – commonly known in community as Chalali Doulas!
The Cultural Birth Workers work alongside our midwives and can accompany you to the hospital for pregnancy checks, your birth and the days after bub is born.
Our care continues after your discharge from the hospital and we help you transition back to your home community. We also offer a bus service for clients who require assistance getting to their appointments. We encourage all eligible clients to see our midwives for new worries, pregnancy and postnatal checks, and opportunistic health checks whilst in Cairns.
Mookai Midwives accept clients referred by Community Clinics, Apunipima, the RFDS, Child Safety and Queensland Health, and supports access and referrals to visiting Allied Health professionals and specialist services. You can also book an appointment with our midwifery team without a referral.
Midwifery Services
Mookai Midwives provide pregnancy care, support and education for expecting families. Using yarning circles and drawing on the cultural knowledge of communities, families and elders, we ensure mum, dad and bub are as prepared as possible for the new arrival.
Mookai Midwives offer:
- Long and short appointments,
- Complex pregnancy coordination,
- Antenatal and postnatal visits,
- Family planning,
- Care plans, and
- Vaccinations.
Maternal Health Team Lead (TBC)
Profile coming soon!
Cultural Birth Workers
Our Cultural Birth Workers support women from Cape York and Torres Strait communities who travel to Cairns to give birth. This program is based on Birthing on Country principles and provides culturally appropriate care and support for women, many who travel alone.
As non-medical companions, Cultural Birth Workers offer invaluable physical and emotional assistance throughout the later stages of pregnancy, labor, and the immediate postpartum period. They can attend appointments at the hospital and be present during the birth if the mother chooses.
The program helps ensure women receive culturally safe care during this critical time, promotes natural labour, and strengthens mother–baby bonding through practices like skin-to-skin contact. These practices help babies regulate temperature, breathing, and heart rate, boost milk supply, and strengthen attachment. The natural release of oxytocin—the body’s ‘feel-good’ hormone—creates a strong bond between mother and baby.
