Advocacy on Behalf of Midwives
Dear Dr. Mark Walker, Dr. Virginia Roth and Mr. Cameron Love,
As a midwifery client, I would like to advocate for the expansion of midwifery services in hospital. I am troubled to know that there are people currently on waitlists for midwifery care who will not be able to have a midwife due to restrictions on midwifery hospital privileges.
I have 3 children all delivered by a midwife in 3 different cities. My experience with midwifery hospital privileges in Ottawa is deplorable. During my time giving birth in hospital, my midwife spent so much of her time filling out required paperwork and checking off boxes, leaving very little time for patient care. The midwife was also treated with indignance and disrespect by the OB/GYN on call, as if the midwife were unworthy of hospital privileges. One of my children was born in the United States. Although a birthing centre was available, I opted, once again for a hospital birth. In hospital, I had a nurse assigned to me as well as my attending midwife. I watched as midwife and nurse interacted and worked together side by side in a supportive and respectful manner, delivering my baby together.
Never should a midwife be treated as less by any colleague in the medical profession. My 3 midwife experiences, but especially my first here in Ottawa, were exceptional. I would encourage any woman to receive pre and post natal care from a midwife.
CMNRP recently released a Capacity Plan outlining the needs of our community and identified that “given women in the region requested increased access to midwifery services, midwifery privileging processes at each hospital should be reviewed and opportunities to increase the number of midwifery supported births at OBWC should be explored” :
http://www.cmnrp.ca/en/cmnrp/Capacity_Plan_Final_Report_2019_p4924.html
I look forward to your response regarding this extremely important issue.
Sincerely,
A midwifery consumer