What is a Midwife?
Midwives are health-care professionals who provide government-funded expert primary care to pregnant people and their newborns. Through pregnancy, labour, birth and the first six weeks after birth, you will be cared for by a small group of midwives. This continuity of care means that you are likely to know the midwife who catches your baby.
You can choose to have a midwife, family doctor or obstetrician to be your primary care provider during your pregnancy.
Core Values of Midwifery Care
Informed Choice
Informed choice is a fundamental principle of midwifery care in Ontario.
Informed choice is a collaborative information exchange between a midwife and their client that supports client decision-making.
Midwives discuss the potential benefits, risks, and alternatives to procedures, tests and medications, information about scope of practice, relevant community standards, relevant research evidence, including any deficiency of clear evidence and identification of the midwife bias.
Choice of Birth Place
Midwives are the only health care providers who offer their clients a choice of birthplace. Ontario Midwives attend births at home, in hospital and in midwifery-led birth centres. In Ontario, 20 percent of people in midwifery care plan to have their babies at home.
In London, you have the opportunity to give birth at London Health Sciences Centre - Victoria Hospital and at home.
Regardless of where you choose to have your baby, you will receive excellent, government-funded, safe care from your midwife.
Interested in home birth? Visit the Ontario Midwives website.
Continuity of Care
Midwives provide complete care throughout pregnancy, labour, birth, and the first six weeks following birth. This basket of services — referred to as a "course of care" — provides continuity, optimizing your safety and comfort. A team of midwives will be responsible for your care throughout pregnancy. Two midwives in that team will typically attend your birth. Clients can contact their midwives 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with urgent concerns through a paging service.
For more information about midwifery care:
