Countryside Midwifery Services
SERVICES
Please take a minute to read about the variety of services that midwives are able to offer to you. We hope that this information will be helpful in deciding if midwifery care is right for you.
Prenatal Care.
Midwives offer prenatal care in the clinic or home setting within our community service area. Our prenatal care includes:
- Informed Choice: you are able to guide your own prenatal care and will be expected to be an active participant making choices that are right for you!
- Pregnancy tests if needed (urine or blood)
- Prenatal care every 4 weeks from intake-28 weeks, biweekly from 28-36 weeks, and weekly from 36 weeks- birth.
- Nutritional and lifestyle, and prenatal education.
- Diagnostic lab work (blood tests), and ultrasound screening.
- Collaboration with other health care practitioners if and when indicated.
Labour and Birth.
Choosing a midwife for your birth means you have many choices during your labour such as:
- Comfort measures and continuous support
- Continuity of care (knowing your midwife)
- Choice of birth place: home, or hospital
- Many choices during your labour and birth including freedom of movement, eating /drinking, physical and emotional support, discussion of options, and informed choice.
- Midwives take care of women with normal healthy pregnancies and normal healthy labours, however if this changes- we are able to provide supportive care to you and your family.
Postpartum Care.
Midwives provide postpartum care up to 6 weeks after the birth of your baby. We provide:
- In home postpartum visits regardless of place of birth. (3 within the first week)
- In clinic visits until 6 weeks postpartum.
- Education about your health and your newborn
- Lab work as offered routinely in Ontario.
- Breastfeeding and lactation support.
- On-call care for questions and concerns.
As midwives, we are on call for clients 24-7 from their intake visit until 6 weeks postpartum, and all the care in between.
Home Birth.
Midwives in Ontario are proud to offer families a choice of setting for their birth. Families may choose to give birth in hospital, or at home. Many families choose a midwife specifically for care at home, and at Countryside, we are happy to offer home birth as part of our care.
Current research shows that home birth is as safe an option for healthy low-risk women as giving birth in the hospital. Our research is ever expanding and now shows that it may even have benefits over a hospital birth such as lower risk of infection, and lower rates of intervention.