obstetrician-hero

Experienced Obstetrician in Bundoora

‘Your Baby, Your Way’

Tilak Cares

Tilak understands that pregnancy marks a very special time in a woman’s life. He is only a phone call away from his private patients at all times. Knowing that you may be nervous, he is prepared to answer all your questions and always does so in an exceptionally kind and calm manner.

Specialties

Tilak looks after high-risk pregnancies in mothers with diabetes or high blood pressure. He offers vaginal birth for twins and babies in breech positions, where appropriate. He also offers vaginal births after a previous caesarean section, once again, where appropriate.

tilka image

Pre-pregnancy counselling, including genetic screening

Before embarking on their first pregnancy, many couples choose to have a professional consultation, particularly if there have been health issues in the past.

Existing medical conditions can be discussed prior to getting pregnant, and the situation optimised. Diabetic patients should have their blood sugar control optimised and patients with high blood pressure should have their medication changed to medications that are safe in pregnancy.

All women trying to conceive should start taking folic acid and iodine. They should also be checked for German measles (rubella) and chicken pox and if they are not immune, should be vaccinated at least one month before trying to conceive. Checking for Hepatitis is also worthwhile at this point.

This is a good opportunity to check for common genetic disorders, such a Thalassemia, or less common ones, such as Cystic Fibrosis, Taysachs decease and Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

Cord Blood Collection

Fetal blood is a ready source of stem cells and can easily be collected from the umbilical cord after the birth of the baby.

Stem cells are cells that have the capability to become any sort of cell in the body. Currently, cord blood stem cells are being used to provide bone marrow transplants after chemotherapy to young children with blood cancers, such as Leukaemia. It is thought that these stem cells may have future applications for patients with a wide variety of illnesses, such as diabetes or neurological disease.

Cord blood can be collected and there are several private companies that can store the blood for you. Tilak is happy to organise this for you.

VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Caesarean Section)

Many patients who have had a previous Lower Segment Caesarean Section for their first birth, desire to have a vaginal birth for their second. Tilak offers this service.
In general, spontaneous labour is awaited and the labour monitored carefully, until the patient delivers vaginally.
Tilak does not offer VBAC’s after two or more Caesarean Sections.

Breech Presentation

Sometimes, babies are positioned bottom down instead of head down. If this is discovered before 36 weeks, about half of these babies can be turned with a procedure called External Cephalic Version. This is performed on the tummy and the baby turned head down.

Selected breech babies can be delivered vaginally. Tilak offers this service, where appropriate. This is usually possible where the pregnant woman has had one or more vaginal births previously and the baby is small to average size.

Cervical Incompetence

Sometimes the cervix is too weak to hold a fetus inside the uterus, which leads to a miscarriage. There are several techniques described to insert a stitch around the cervix to keep the pregnancy in.

Tilak inserts the classic Shirodkar suture, where the stitch is inserted quite high in the cervix.

Twin Pregnancy

Double trouble for the pregnant woman and the obstetrician, but with double the joy at the end!
These pregnancies need to be carefully monitored with extra blood tests and ultrasound scans.
Vaginal birth is usually possible, provided the first twin is coming head first.
Tilak has delivered many twins, several triplets and one set of quadruplets.

High-Risk Pregnancy

These include pregnancies in mothers with diabetes, thyroid disease and several less common conditions. Pregnancies in older women also come under this category. Despite the perceived high risk nature of these pregnancies, the outcome is generally good for both mother and baby.

Most mothers can still have a vaginal birth.
Tilak is one of the Senior Consultant Obstetricians in the University Department of Obstetrics at the Mercy Hospital for Woman, and runs a high risk clinic at the Northern Hospital. He is well versed in the management of these pregnancies, each of which needs to be managed in a very individual fashion.

The Fourth Trimester or Postpartum Period

The fourth trimester is the period from the day your baby is born, till s/he is three months old.

Traditionally, there was a time of recovery and bonding between the parents and new baby following the birth. Mothers were cared for by family members and there was always help at hand. Meals were cooked and chores were done, giving the new mother time to rest and recover.

The importance of rest and recovery is not to be taken lightly. After the birth, a fresh set of challenges quickly emerges. Lack of sleep, difficulties with breastfeeding, and/or a persistently crying baby can all contribute to the feeling of inadequacy, helplessness, anxiety and depression.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it is best to seek help and advice. Usually, with professional assistance from hospital staff and support from extended family, most couples get on their feet quickly.

Sometimes, mood changes can persist, giving rise to post natal depression. Northpark Private Hospital, with its on-site Mother and Baby Unit, is uniquely prepared to assist in this situation.

You can also prepare for the Fourth Trimester by preparing some meals for your freezer or asking a friend or relative to be available for you. This support person might prepare meals, help with washing or even be available to hold the baby while you have a shower or a nap.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, call your doctor. He will put you in touch with the right people.

The Fourth Trimester or Postpartum Period

The fourth trimester is the period from the day your baby is born, till s/he is three months old.

Traditionally, there was a time of recovery and bonding between the parents and new baby following the birth. Mothers were cared for by family members and there was always help at hand. Meals were cooked and chores were done, giving the new mother time to rest and recover.

The importance of rest and recovery is not to be taken lightly. After the birth, a fresh set of challenges quickly emerges. Lack of sleep, difficulties with breastfeeding, and/or a persistently crying baby can all contribute to the feeling of inadequacy, helplessness, anxiety and depression.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it is best to seek help and advice. Usually, with professional assistance from hospital staff and support from extended family, most couples get on their feet quickly.

Sometimes, mood changes can persist, giving rise to post natal depression. Northpark Private Hospital, with its on-site Mother and Baby Unit, is uniquely prepared to assist in this situation.

You can also prepare for the Fourth Trimester by preparing some meals for your freezer or asking a friend or relative to be available for you. This support person might prepare meals, help with washing or even be available to hold the baby while you have a shower or a nap.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, call your doctor. He will put you in touch with the right people.

Location Info

Tilak’s private consulting rooms are at 11 Oxley Avenue, Bundoora, They are situated in the street next to the state of the art facilities at Northpark Private Hospital.
(see blog or FAQ)

Fee Structure

We structure our fees so that your entire pregnancy and care are affordable and you’ll be delighted to see that we keep your out-of-pocket payments to a minimum. We will give you a clear outline of our fees on request or at your initial consultation so that you are able to predict your payments.

More Information

To receive information regarding our current fees call or email our office on 1300 804 884 or send an email to us requesting fees. Please provide your current health fund and Medicare status when requesting fees via email. Ask us questions for more information.

Special Cases

We also have a detailed fee summary for oversea visitors and students with health fund coverage only. We structure our billing to maximise the Medicare Safety Net Rebates throughout your pregnancy. We offer these services and others to save you time and money. We will also bill your health fund if you require any hospital visits while you’re pregnant.

Image Disclaimer

Please note that this page will show images of a Cesarean section birth. Some viewers may find them graphic. We suggest that you do not proceed if you do not want to see the graphic images of a C-section birth. 

I look forward to being part of your life-changing journey and thank you for entrusting me with your care

Integrity, Honesty, and Compassion