If you live in Alexandra and you’re looking for a midwife who offers real continuity of care, not just a rotating cast of hospital staff, PMBcare has supported Johannesburg families for years from our birth centre in Fordsburg. Many Alexandra moms come to us wanting more time with their care provider than a busy public or private hospital clinic can offer. This guide covers what midwifery care looks like for Alexandra families, what’s included at each stage of pregnancy, and how to book your first visit.
Looking for a Midwife Serving Alexandra?
Alexandra families often want the same thing as families anywhere else: a midwife team that knows their history and their preferences, rather than starting from scratch at every appointment. That continuity is the foundation of how PMBcare works, from your first antenatal visit through your postnatal care.
We support pregnant women and families from Alexandra, Sandton, Randburg, Soweto, Roodepoort, and across greater Johannesburg with:
- Antenatal and prenatal check-ups
- Midwife-led natural birth support
- Postnatal (fourth trimester) care for mom and baby
- Health education throughout pregnancy
- A clear referral pathway to hospital care if it’s ever needed
As the longest-standing midwifery practice in Johannesburg, we’ve built our approach around one idea: you should be involved in every decision about your own care, not just informed of it after the fact.
Where Alexandra Families Are Cared For: Our Fordsburg Birth Centre
PMBcare doesn’t have a branch in Alexandra. We operate from a single, purpose-built birth centre at 81 Mint Road, corner Gillies Street, Fordsburg, Johannesburg, near Oriental Plaza, and Alexandra families travel to us for antenatal visits, labour support, and postnatal follow-ups.
Our Fordsburg birth centre is designed to feel like a home rather than a hospital, with a calm, private space for labour and birth rather than a shared ward. Many Alexandra families tell us the trip across town is worth it once they experience an appointment that isn’t rushed.
We’re open Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 15:00, with emergency birth support available 24/7 for clients already in our care. We work with Alexandra moms to plan antenatal visits around a schedule that’s realistic for their transport and family commitments.
What Midwifery Care Includes at PMBcare
Antenatal and Prenatal Visits
Your antenatal visits include vitals checks, fetal heartbeat monitoring, and first trimester screening between 15 and 20 weeks. Visits become more frequent as your due date approaches, so we can track your baby’s growth and your own wellbeing closely through the final stretch.
We also talk through the physical and emotional side of pregnancy, from morning sickness and fatigue to anxiety about labour, and what actually helps. Every visit includes education on danger signs and healthy choices, so you always know what’s normal and when to call us.
Labour and Natural Birth Support
For non-complicated labour, our approach is minimal intervention with an experienced midwife team staying with you throughout, not checking in periodically. You’re free to labour in the way that feels right for you, whether that’s moving around freely, using water for pain relief, or having your partner close by the entire time.
If complications arise that need a higher level of care, we refer you to hospital doctors immediately. That referral pathway is built into your birth plan from your very first visit, so you always know what happens if your pregnancy needs a different path.
Postnatal (Fourth Trimester) Care
Care doesn’t stop once your baby arrives. We check in with you in the days immediately after birth and again in the weeks that follow, supporting recovery, feeding, and adjusting to life with a newborn. We also check in on your emotional wellbeing, since the fourth trimester is often the stage new moms feel least prepared for, which is why it’s built into your care plan from the start.
Your Pregnancy Journey With PMBcare: Trimester by Trimester
First Trimester (Weeks 1 to 12)
Your first visit covers a full health history, an initial check-up, and time to talk through your hopes and concerns for the pregnancy. Early visits are spaced a few weeks apart while we confirm dates, monitor early symptoms, and answer the questions that tend to come up first, like what’s safe to eat and what early warning signs to watch for.
Second Trimester (Weeks 13 to 27)
Usually the most settled stretch of pregnancy, with visits continuing on a steady schedule. We monitor your baby’s growth, check in on how you’re feeling physically and emotionally, and start shaping your birth plan together. It’s a good time to bring your partner along if they haven’t joined a visit yet.
Third Trimester and Labour (Week 28 Onward)
Visits become more frequent as your due date nears, so we can track final growth checks and confirm everything is progressing as expected. By this stage, your birth plan is fully in place, and when labour begins, it’s the same team that’s followed your pregnancy from the start who supports you through it.
Why Choose a Midwife-Led Natural Birth
A Calm, Home-Like Environment
Hospitals are built for medical efficiency, not comfort. Our birth centre is the opposite: a private, home-like space where you set the pace, supported by a team who already knows your birth plan because they helped you write it.
Continuity of Care From One Midwife Team
You won’t meet a different doctor at every appointment. The same midwifery team that sees you through your antenatal visits is the team supporting you in labour and afterward. Read more about why families choose natural birth at PMBcare.
This model isn’t just our preference. The World Health Organization recognises midwife-led continuity of care as a safe, effective approach for low-risk pregnancies, which is exactly what our birth centre is built around.
Do You Have to Visit the Birth Centre? Home Birth Options
Some Alexandra families would rather give birth at home than travel to Fordsburg for the delivery itself. If you’re a suitable candidate, our midwives can support a home birth using the same continuity model, with the same team you saw for antenatal care attending your labour at home.
Home birth isn’t the right fit for every pregnancy, so our midwives assess your health history and how your pregnancy is progressing well before your due date. Ask us about this option at any point during your antenatal visits and we’ll walk you through what it involves.
Whichever setting you choose, the referral pathway to hospital care stays the same if it’s ever needed, and we stay involved throughout that transfer.
Why Experience Matters When Choosing a Midwife
Midwifery care isn’t one-size-fits-all. As the longest-standing midwifery practice in Johannesburg, our team has supported hundreds of families through pregnancy, birth, and the months that follow, so we’ve seen a wide range of what a healthy pregnancy can look like. That experience is what lets us catch small concerns early, explain your options clearly, and stay calm when it matters most.
When you’re choosing who supports you through one of the biggest experiences of your life, it’s worth asking any practice about their depth of experience, and whether you’ll see the same team from your first visit through to your last.
What Alexandra Families Often Ask
Access to consistent, unhurried maternity care can be harder to find close to home in Alexandra, so a common question is simply how the trip to Fordsburg fits around work, transport, and family life. Most of our Alexandra clients plan their antenatal visits around a single weekly or fortnightly trip, and we work with you to build a schedule that’s realistic rather than ideal on paper.
Cost is another frequent question. We keep our pricing straightforward and quote everything upfront, with no hidden fees added later, so you know exactly what to expect from your first visit onward.
Families also ask whether midwife-led care is only for straightforward, low-risk pregnancies. It’s the model we’re built around, and part of every visit is checking that your pregnancy remains a good fit for it, with a clear referral pathway if that ever changes.
What Happens If You Need to Transfer to Hospital
A midwife-led birth centre isn’t the right setting for every pregnancy, and part of our job is recognising early when a higher level of care is needed. Before your due date, we assess your health history and pregnancy progress to flag anything that might need hospital-based delivery instead.
If something unexpected comes up during labour, our midwives are trained to recognise the signs early and refer you to a hospital doctor without delay. You’ll always know who that referral goes to and what the process looks like, because we walk through it with you well before your due date.
How to Prepare for Your First Visit
Your first appointment is as much about you getting to know us as it is about a check-up. To make the most of it, it helps to bring:
- Any previous pregnancy or medical records you have on hand
- A list of current medications or supplements you’re taking
- Your questions, written down, about labour, pain relief, or what to expect
- Your partner or support person, if you’d like them involved from the start
There’s no need to prepare anything else. Our midwives will guide the rest of the conversation and make sure you leave with a clear picture of what your care will look like, whether this is your first pregnancy or your third.
What to Expect at Your First Visit
Your first prenatal visit costs R650. It’s the best way to see whether our birth centre and approach to care suit your pregnancy, and it gives our midwives the chance to understand your health history and answer your questions in person.
Emergency and night callouts are available at R700 each, for concerns that can’t wait until your next scheduled visit. There are no hidden fees beyond what we quote you directly, and every cost is explained upfront before you commit to anything.
For more on our full range of midwife services in Johannesburg, including what’s included at each stage of care, see our services and pricing guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does PMBcare have a branch in Alexandra?
No. PMBcare operates from one birth centre, located in Fordsburg, Johannesburg. We welcome families from Alexandra and surrounding areas to visit us there for antenatal care, birth support, and postnatal follow-ups.
What does a first midwife visit cost?
Your first prenatal visit costs R650. This covers your initial consultation, health history review, and a chance to ask our midwives anything about your pregnancy and birth options.
Do you offer emergency support outside office hours?
Yes. Emergency and night callouts are available at R700 each for clients already in our care, for concerns that can’t wait until your next scheduled visit.
Can my partner be involved throughout my care?
Yes. Partners and support people are welcome at antenatal visits and during labour and birth. Many of our clients say a consistent midwife team makes it easier for their partner to feel involved too, not just present.
How many antenatal visits will I have?
This depends on your individual pregnancy, but visits typically start a few weeks apart in the first trimester and become more frequent as your due date approaches, so we can track your baby’s growth closely in the final weeks.
Is transport to Fordsburg difficult to plan around?
Many of our Alexandra clients manage it by grouping their antenatal visits with other errands or trips into the city, and we’re happy to help you plan a visit schedule that works with your transport and time.
Who is a good fit for midwife-led natural birth?
Not every pregnancy suits a midwife-led birth centre setting. Our team reviews your health history and how your pregnancy is progressing before recommending this path, so you can make an informed decision early.
Book Your Midwife Visit at PMBcare
If you’re in Alexandra and searching for a midwife who will know your name, your history, and your birth plan by heart, we’d love to meet you. Get in touch with PMBcare to book your first visit and see our Fordsburg birth centre for yourself.