Why I Chose to Use a Midwife

It is a common misconception as to why I would choose to use a midwife. No, I am not having a home birth or a water birth, we will still have this baby in a hospital setting. So why go forward with using a midwife team? The answers are pretty simple and may surprise some.

Here is Ontario, Canada, a midwife is covered by our health care system. You gain more attention to detail and can have more dedicated time to you and your pregnancy than you may receive from a family doctor. I find that here in Canada, doctor appointments feel rushed and tend to be overbooked, where as with a midwife, you can ask as many questions as you wish, take your time in each appointment and have access to a trained professional faster than booking an in-person or phone call appointment with a doctor.

While my first midwife experience wasn’t all to be desired, this second time around is with a new team in a new town and we are far more pleased with the services we have received. With my first born, my son Calum, after a lengthily labour and other circumstances, I ended up having an emergency C-Section. This, along with the smaller age gap between my children, requires me to be monitored by a doppler in a hospital setting. The goal with this delivery is to have a VBAC (vaginal birth after C-Section) and the safest way to do so is within a hospital, even though this was our planned setting regardless of the situation. It is more for precautionary circumstances, but I am completely okay with the hand we have been delt.

By having a midwife, you not only gain a knowledgeable professional at your fingertips, but also an added support system, a true expert in the world of babies, pregnancy and delivery, a lactation assistant, a listening ear through all of your hormones and emotions, and a hand to hold if necessary along the way. A midwife is supposed to be your cheerleader and guide you along this journey toward your end goal and informing you along the way of options and possibilities.

In home aftercare was something I lacked in my previous midwife experience with my first pregnancy. We moved during my first pregnancy, which took us out of their district and caused us to have to travel over an hour each way for checkups and visits with a brand new baby. This was exhausting, overwhelming and I would not recommend this. This time around, in the early weeks of this baby being here, we will have in-home care and I couldn’t be more thrilled about it. Remaining in the comfort of our own home during those early days with a new baby will be ideal.

Overall, the choice is yours. Some find using a midwife completely unnecessary and that is totally okay. I, personally, have enjoyed my experience this time around far more than my previous one. I have truly reaped the benefits of my current team. Any extra help or support during a pregnancy, delivery or postpartum care is so helpful and can be a game changer. For us, we appreciate and trust our team to have mine and our new baby’s best interest and health at heart, and at the end of the day, that is all we could ask for. Having a midwife team for this pregnancy, my previous pregnancy and any future pregnancies has been a no-brainer decision. The honest, informative guidance we have received is unmatched and I am beyond happy to be sharing this experience with our team.

Melanie xoxox