Options for pain management and emergent situations
In our last post we ended it by talking about the options for pain management that typically comes with midwifery care. If you do decide to have a home birth you can always change your mind about this and transfer to a hospital for nitrous oxide or epidural. And a midwife will also sometimes recommend a transfer to the hospital based on what’s happening with the health and safety of the person and baby. Usually a transfer is simple – get in the car with your hospital bag (yes, you should pack one even if you are planning a home birth), RM is calling ahead to the hospital and informing them of the situation and what is needed (a labour room, perhaps an OB consult, etc) and you skip triage and get right to a birthing suite, equipped with monitors and all sorts of tools that can start right away to be put into use. So, a transfer can be safe, smooth and quick.
In an emergency situation at home, sometimes 911 is called for quick help and transport when time is of the essence and walking to a car is not an option. Sounds too exciting and scary, but also this is a well practiced procedure to transport a person for maybe even immediate surgery. These things sometimes happen in hospital births too; the stats show home birth with midwives attending who have good partnerships in hospitals have safe outcomes.
A transfer from the Birth Centre to a hospital sometimes also happens. When a labour plan changes and medications are required, increased monitoring of vitals, or specialised care from an Obstetrician makes sense, it might be wise to transfer out of the birth centre. St. Michael’s hospital is the closest for a true emergency, but most times a transfer is to the hospital where the midwife has privileges and can continue as one of your health care team.
Having a Midwife does not mean you have to have your baby born at home, but it does give you that option. You don’t have to have all the answers figured out right away, but if you are pregnant now and considering a midwife, you do want to see about getting on a waiting list as they are in high demand! Find a midwife here: https://www.ontariomidwives.ca/find-midwife
Have any of you seen the term “free birth”? Home birth is not the same as “free birth” which is a term gaining some public spotlight recently due to a recent Guardian article. Freebirth most commonly is a birth that someone does in their home, but it is one in which there is no Registered (regulated) Midwife or Doctor attending the birth. Perhaps indeed it is only the person birthing with a partner and no one else, perhaps there are other, non-medical people attending. In a freebirth, a person has assumed the risk of their experience and hopefully doesn’t have any complications. Yes, sometimes support people like doulas or birth attendants are paid to be there, and no it is not supported by any accrediting body that I know of (my certifying body for instance does not allow their doulas to knowingly attend a freebirth. Doulas are typically not medically trained for this and risk being charged with unauthorised practice by The College of Midwives of Ontario. The CMO is also very clear that no one is allowed to use the title of midwife if they’re not registered.)
Being attended by a midwife AND a doula is a GREAT idea. They do not do the same functions and the preparation with your doula is not covering the same areas. Book a free consultation to find out more about how a Birth Doula can support your pregnancy and birth. Click here to fill our contact form!