 What
is a Midwife?
A Midwife is a trained professional who provides
comprehensive care and support during pregnancy, labour, birth and
the six week postpartum period to healthy women and their newborns.
Midwifery care is based in the knowledge that, for most women, pregnancy
and childbirth is a normal and important life event. Midwives believe
that unnecessary intervention is an interruption of a normal process,
however, they support the appropriate use of technology.
Midwives
attend births in a variety of settings including home and hospital
and are fully funded by the BC Ministry of Health. There is no cost
to you. The midwife consults with, and refers to, specialists when
necessary and is skilled in careful monitoring to detect abnormalities
in pregnancy and birth. Midwifery involves antenatal (before the
birth) education and preparation for parenthood and extends to certain
areas of gynecology, family planning and child care.
In British Columbia,
the title "midwife" is protected by law. Only those who have been
assessed and found to meet all of the requirements for registration
in BC and are registered with the College
of Midwives of British Columbia may call themselves "midwife".
Luba and Deb
are both registered midwives with the College of Midwives of BC.
They each have been practicing midwifery in and out of BC for more
than 20 years.
Philosophy of Care
The Victoria Midwifery
Group's philosophy of care is based on respect for the birth process
and a women's ability to give birth.
Principles:
- birth as a normal
event
- client as the
primary decision maker
- continuity of
care - the Midwives attending your birth will be known to you
from your prenatal care
- sufficient time
spent providing information, counselling and educational resources
- choice of birth
place, home or hospital
- appropriate use
of technology,
- breast is best
(click
here for a breastfeeding site!)
Further Information
On our Philosophy
Midwifery care is based
on the respect for pregnancy as a state of health, and childbirth
as a normal physiologic process. Midwifery care respects the diversity
of women's needs and the variety of personal and cultural meanings
which women, families and communities bring to the pregnancy, birth
and early parenting experience.
The maintenance
and promotion of health throughout the childbearing cycle are central
to midwifery care. Midwives focus on preventive care and the appropriate
use of technology. Care is continuous, personalized and non-authoritarian.
It responds to a woman's social, emotional, as well as physical
needs.
Midwives respect
the woman's right to choice of care provider and place of birth,
in accordance with the standards of practice of the College of Midwives.
Midwives are willing to attend a birth in a variety of settings,
including birth at home. Midwives encourage the woman to actively
participate in her care throughout pregnancy, birth and the postpartum
period and make choices about the manner in which her care is provided.
Midwifery care
includes education and counselling, enabling a woman to make informed
choices. Midwives promote decision making as a shared responsibility,
between the woman, her family (as defined by the woman) and her
care providers. The woman is recognized as the primary decision
maker.
Fundamental to
midwifery care is the understanding that a woman's care providers
respect and support her so that she may give birth safely, with
power and dignity.
Informed Choice
Informed choice is an
underlying principle of midwifery care. Women have the right to
receive information and be involved in the decision making process
throughout their midwifery care. In the Philosophy of Midwifery
statement above, the childbearing woman is recognized as the primary
decision maker. The interactive process of informed choice involves
the promotion of shared responsibility between the midwife and her
client. Midwives encourage and give guidance to clients wishing
to seek out resources to assist them in the decision making process.
It is the responsibility
of the midwife to facilitate the ongoing exchange of current knowledge
in a non-authoritarian and co-operative manner, including sharing
what is known and unknown about procedures, tests and medications.
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