Midwifery is an option more parents are considering as more midwives set up shop on the Sunshine Coast.
For many years there were just two midwives serving pregnant clients on the Coast but now there are four, due to the growing demand.
Jules Atkins and Lehe Spiegelman started Suncoast Midwifery in September and they have several clients already.
Both women have experience offering midwifery services in Vancouver and saw the need on the Coast.
“I think it is growing all over British Columbia and I don’t see any reason that it’s not going to happen here as well,” said Atkins.
She noted that as more people gain an understanding of what midwives do, more people are apt to consider midwifery as an option.
Midwives are university-trained experts in pregnancy, birth and baby care. Their services are completely covered by MSP and mothers can refer themselves to a midwife at any time.
Using a midwife doesn’t mean you have to have a natural birth. Midwives can order the same pain relief in labour as doctors and they can deliver babies at home or in hospital.
Midwives also generally have longer appointments with their clients than doctors (30-45 minutes) in order to address any questions or concerns of parents, and they also provide care after the baby is born.
“That level of care and the relationship really resonated with me,” said new mom Morgan Farren, who had her son Elliot with Spiegelman and Atkins.
“I like that the midwives would come to my home for appointments if I chose to do that and I also really wanted a home birth, so that was another reason I wanted a midwife.”
Chloe Delany said she
chose a midwife for the birth of her son Florian before she even got pregnant.
“It was just something in the last couple of years I had become more aware of and knew the values of midwives really aligned with my own values and my wishes and my preferences,” Delany said, noting she had trouble securing a midwife at the time because the two that were practising on the Coast were full with clients.
She said the biggest difference for her between going with a doctor or a midwife for care was the relationship.
“Having a relationship and having that continuity of care all the way through pregnancy, from the very beginning through the birth and then you have the six weeks post partum care as well, that was huge and really important to me,” Delany said.
Mom Melissa Drope said choosing a midwife was an obvious choice for her, as her last two children had been delivered by midwives at home and she wanted the birth of her daughter Skylar to be the same.
She noted that with the help of a midwife her husband Sean was able to deliver their baby himself.
“Jules came over and she had the doll and human pelvis and we practised. We spent hours just going over what he could expect, positioning, what to do if I was laying on my side or on my knees,” Drope said.
“So Sean got to be really hands on and involved and at all the appointments because she comes on the weekend. It’s not like a doctor’s office.”
The new moms all said they felt in control of their pregnancy and completely supported through midwifery and they encouraged other mothers to investigate the option.
In addition to Suncoast Midwifery, midwives Petra Pruiksma of Sunshine Coast Midwifery and Natasha Sara of Moonwater Birthing offer midwifery services on the Coast.
You can find a list of all registered midwives in your area by entering your postal code at www.bcmidwives.com.
There is also more information about midwifery care and what it entails on the website.
