Dr Anneliese Perkins

03/11/2025

A beautiful moment with our newest arrival! 💕

We were so delighted to welcome back Baby Emilia, big sister Areanna, and mum Diana for their postnatal visit. It’s always such a joy to see our families thriving and to watch these precious early bonding moments unfold.

Seeing Emilia doing so well and Areanna stepping into her role as a proud big sister truly makes our work so rewarding. Diana, you’re doing an amazing job, mama!

Thank you for trusting us with your care and for sharing this special time with our practice. Wishing your beautiful family all the health and happiness in the world as you navigate this exciting new chapter together! ✨

01/11/2025

31/10/2025

Medical Professional’s Perspective: Protecting Women’s Healthcare Rights

As an obstetrician who has supported countless women through some of the most difficult moments of their lives, I feel compelled to speak about recent parliamentary discussions that deeply misunderstand women’s healthcare realities.

The Reality of Late-Term Medical Terminations

Let me be absolutely clear from my clinical experience: late-term abortions are extraordinarily rare and occur only under heartbreaking circumstances. These are wanted pregnancies where families face devastating news:

- The fetus has conditions incompatible with life
- The fetus has severe abnormalities that would result in extreme suffering or a very difficult life with major health issues
- OR there is significant risk to the mother’s health or life

These procedures do NOT happen because people change their minds about becoming parents. By late pregnancy, families have already made cribs, chosen names, and prepared their hearts. The suggestion that women would terminate healthy pregnancies at this stage is not only medically inaccurate but profoundly insulting to families who have endured unimaginable grief making these traumatic medical decisions.

Recent Parliamentary Concerns

A bill was recently introduced to protect parental leave entitlements for women who experience stillbirth—a compassionate measure for families in crisis. However, several Coalition MPs raised objections, suggesting women might exploit this by having late-term abortions to access leave benefits.

Politicians to Consider Carefully When Voting:

The following MPs opposed or raised concerns about stillbirth leave protections based on misconceptions about late-term abortion:

- Andrew Hastie
- Barnaby Joyce
- Tony Pasin
- Henry Pike

Why This Matters

These concerns reflect a fundamental misunderstanding of women’s healthcare and the devastating circumstances families face. As healthcare providers, we need elected officials who trust women, understand medical realities, and won’t legislate based on harmful misconceptions.

Australian women deserve representatives who approach reproductive healthcare with compassion, medical accuracy, and respect for the impossible decisions some families must make.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

https://womensagenda.com.au/latest/eds-blog/a-bill-on-stillbirth-sees-men-enter-the-conversation-to-make-unhinged-abortion-claims/?fbclid=IwZnRzaANyKmhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHnhZ3Ptbf0Ifo0Lh2Vbzh2AeoAe4emBhao60x3SPz0QCqt-P_XqN6C8lM3NJ_aem_X3fWYzrR0U3C2u35krY-ug

Priya's Law aims to clarify that employers can't cancel paid parental leave if a child is stillborn or dies. But these men have "concerns"

31/10/2025

The best days in clinic are filled with growing bumps and newborn snuggles! 💕
Today was absolutely beautiful - spending time with our pregnant mamas and their babies on board, plus welcoming back our postnatal families to meet their gorgeous little ones.
So much joy in one day! ✨
Pictured here with new mum Abigael and sweet baby Albert in his special keepsake onesie. Congratulations again!

30/10/2025

$850K FUNDING FOR STILLBIRTH AWARENESS: Heartbreaking stories shared by South Australian families have inspired major changes to stillbirth care, awareness and counselling support. >> https://ap1.hubs.ly/y0mlSr0

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30/10/2025

Six babies each day are born without breath in Australia - a heartbreaking reality that Still Aware, Australia’s first and only charity solely dedicated to stillbirth prevention and awareness, is determined to change.

Still Aware proudly acknowledges the South Australian Government for recognising the importance of this issue and for its commitment to creating change following the select committee’s enquiry into stillbirth. The priority to invest in life-saving initiatives that place awareness and prevention at the forefront of maternal care.

Following this inquiry, the SA Government has made the recommendation that the Still Aware Safe Pregnancy and Safe Bubba information should be given to every expectant family in South Australia. While no funding is attached to this recommendation, as of yet, it represents a significant milestone in Still Aware’s long-standing advocacy to ensure that vital, lifesaving information reaches families early in pregnancy - empowering them to understand, trust, and monitor their baby’s wellbeing, via simple evidence-based actions.

In addition, Still Aware would like to express deep appreciation for the support from the Malinauskas Government to create three Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) Safe Pregnancy Packs in Arabic, Vietnamese, and Mandarin. Developed and co-designed by Still Aware alongside multicultural communities, these Safe Pregnancy packs will bridge critical information gaps and ensure every family - regardless of background or language - can access clear, culturally appropriate resources to support healthy pregnancies and prevent stillbirth.

With this renewed support, Still Aware continues to lead national efforts to end preventable stillbirths through community education, clinical collaboration, and advocacy.

We thank you again.

28/10/2025

About Me 👋

Hi, I’m Dr Anneliese Perkins!

I’m a 46-year-old obstetrician, mum to two kids (and 3 cats who definitely think they’re people), traveller, strength training enthusiast, and passionate plant lover. 🌱

The Professional Bit:

I work in private obstetrics at Ashford Hospital and as an ultrasound specialist at Adelaide Women’s Imaging. In 2013, I experienced a mid-trimester stillbirth during my second pregnancy - a loss that forever changed how I practice medicine. That experience taught me that being a good doctor isn’t just about clinical excellence; it’s about truly *seeing* the families in front of you, especially those navigating pregnancy after loss.

I’m proud to serve on the Board of Still Aware, working to end preventable stillbirth. At their 2025 Gala, we raised over $216,000 and celebrated a major milestone: the SA State Government will recommend the rollout of stillbirth prevention resources to ALL pregnant women in South Australia! 🎉

The Personal Bit:

I’m passionate about supporting women through every stage of their journey and empowering families with knowledge and evidence-based care. At the end of the day, I’m just a food-loving, cat-adoring traveller who happens to have the best job in the world. 💛​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

25/10/2025

Third Baby Births: Expect the Unexpected 😅

You’d think by baby #3, parents have seen it all. And they have! But third babies? They didn’t get the memo.

——

Spent today with an amazing third-time mum in labour ward.

Her first two babies? Came relatively quickly. She knew what to expect, had her rhythm down, felt confident.

Baby #3? Decided to take the scenic route.

All. Day. Long.

Her: “I really thought I knew how my body does this…”

Me: “You do! But this little one is just writing their own story. It takes how long it takes.”

We walked the room together. Chatted between contractions. Waited. She handled it like the absolute champion she is, even though this wasn’t what she expected.

The thing about third babies? They’re wonderfully unpredictable. Just when parents think they’ve figured out their pattern, baby #3 says “actually, let’s try something completely different.”

And honestly? That’s exactly what keeps this job interesting and humbling for all of us. Every birth is unique, even when it’s your third time around. 💙

——

COMMENT BELOW ABOUT YOUR UNEXPECTED BIRTH OR 3RD BABY STORY

18/10/2025

Last night, 400 guests came together at SkyCity for the StillAware 2025 Gala, raising an incredible $216,207 towards stillbirth awareness, education, and prevention. 💫
It was an honour to speak as a guest presenter, sharing my own experience of stillbirth alongside my perspective as an obstetrician caring for families through this devastating loss. We discussed the critical importance of empowering families with practical knowledge - recognizing warning signs, advocating for their babies, and accessing evidence-based stillbirth prevention strategies.
Our entire team was there supporting this vital cause, and everyone looked amazing!
A highlight of the evening was a groundbreaking announcement: the SA State Government will recommend the rollout of StillAware’s Safer Pregnancy packs to ALL pregnant women in South Australia, Safe Bubba brochures for our First Nations communities, and fund resources in multiple languages for our non-English speaking community members.
Pictured with Claire Foord, founder of Still Aware, and Olivia Savvas MP , State Member for Newland and Chair of the Select Committee into Stillbirth - two incredible advocates driving real change.
Together, we can reduce preventable stillbirth. Thank you to all our sponsors and supporters who make this work possible.