The Benefits of a Midwife in North Vancouver

If you are pregnant in North Vancouver, midwifery is one of several options available to you that is covered by MSP. A midwife in North Vancouver can be the ideal pregnancy professional for anyone interested in a home or hospital birth.

Appointments with a midwife in North Vancouver are longer than a traditional doctor appointment, and last between 30 to 45 minutes, allowing for questions and discussion. Midwives believe in informed consent, meaning that they will give all of the information that is available in order to allow their patients to make the best choices for them.

A midwife in North Vancouver is a medical professional trained to be your primary caregiver throughout pregnancy, delivery, and into the post-partum period, which lasts up to six weeks after birth. Prenatal visits start at once a month for the first 28 weeks of pregnancy, then increase to every two weeks until the 36^th week of pregnancy. Starting in the 37^th week of pregnancy, visits are once a week until birth. During the first two weeks after birth, midwives visit their patients regularly in their home. After the first two weeks, regular visits are scheduled at the midwives’ clinic.

All of the prenatal tests that are done in the hospital by a doctor can be done by a midwife in North Vancouver.  Routine prenatal tests include ultrasounds, genetic testing, and laboratory and diagnostic testing. A doctor is not needed to discuss the results, a midwife in North Vancouver can order the tests and discuss them with their patient.

Whether the patient chooses home or hospital birth, their midwife in North Vancouver will be the one to deliver the baby and will work with hospital staff or doctors if needed. Pharmaceutical pain relief during birth can only be done at a hospital, not at a home birth. Midwives have a range of both pharmaceutical and natural pain relief options; this includes epidural if giving birth at a hospital.

If needed, a midwife in Vancouver is required to contact the appropriate medical professionals, including doctors, or an ambulance, if complications arise during birth. A midwife in North Vancouver is carrying on a centuries-old profession. Midwives have been around for hundreds of years, and in British Columbia are licensed medical professionals who are fully covered by your medical services plan.