Top 10 FAQs About Midwifery

• Midwifery care is paid for by the government
• There is no cost to residents of Ontario even if they do not have OHIP

• Midwives provide clinical care to our clients and their babies through pregnancy and birth, and up to 6 weeks after birth
• Midwives help people cope with labour and are the care-providers managing the birth 
• Doulas are trained in labour support but do not give clinical care
• Doulas are not paid for by the government
• Midwives and doulas can work very well together at the same birth 

• If a woman, her pregnancy, and her baby are healthy, she does not need to see a doctor for pregnancy-related matters
• Midwives give all the care needed in pregnancy, labour and birth, and for 6 weeks after birth, for the parent and the baby
• Midwives may consult with doctors or other health professionals when additional assessments or care is needed
• If complications require that an obstetrician or a pediatrician become the main care-provider, midwives offer supportive care

• Midwives offer all the usual pregnancy tests, including blood tests, ultrasounds, and genetic screening, etc
• The client is the main decision-maker when it comes to which tests they do during their pregnancies

• No. Midwives offer people the choice of where to have their babies
• Midwives support healthy clients’ choice of having their babies at home
• Midwives help women have their babies in hospital when that is the safest place for them, or if they choose hospital birth
• The midwives at Sages-Femmes Rouge Valley Midwives have privileges at the Lakeridge Health – Ajax-Pickering Hospital, and at Scarborough Health Network – General and Centenary Hospital.

• Yes. Midwives support informed choice including the choice to have medication (including epidurals) when they have their babies in hospital
• Because midwives provide one-to-one support throughout their entire labour, it may reduce the need for medication for pain relief

• Midwives are experts in normal pregnancy and birth
• Midwives are skilled and knowledgeable at noticing when things are not normal and helping them get back to normal
• When that does not work, midwives bring the appropriate help into the care team, such as obstetricians, pediatricians, naturopaths, lactation consultants, etc
• We have good relationships with the doctors and health care-providers in our community, which makes it easy to work together for the benefit of our clients

• Midwives can provide care for those who need or choose a repeat caesarean birth and consult with an obstetrician towards the end of the pregnancy to make the arrangements for a repeat caesarean section
• An obstetrician becomes involved if is determined that a caesarean section is needed in labour
• Only an obstetrician can organizes and performs the caesarean birth, and provides care while in hospital, usually for 2 days after the birth  
• The midwife will resume care in the postpartum once discharged from the hospital

• Midwives work at clinics where most of the care in pregnancy is done
• Midwives may help women in active labour at home prior to moving into hospital, if a hospital birth is planned
• At Sages-Femmes Rouge Valley Midwives, about 20% of births take place at home, with 2 midwives in attendance
• Midwives do a few visits at home in the first 1-2 weeks after the birth to assess the health of parent and baby, and to assist with establishing breastfeeding

No, it is a client’s choice.  But, in midwifery care, those who choose to breastfeed have a higher success rate because:

• Midwives share a lot of information regarding the benefits of breastfeeding for mother and baby
• Midwives are knowledgeable about, and highly supportive of breastfeeding
• Midwives are on-call 24 hours a day for emergencies and breastfeeding problems
• Midwives refer to lactation specialists if extra help is needed