Province's 1st registered midwife on duty and tackling challenges
New Brunswick's first registered midwife says she started the job aware of the challenges ahead for the profession, which, despite its long history around the world, was only recently allowed back in the province.
Horizon Health has hired Melissa Langlais as a lead midwife in Fredericton, and she'll soon be joined by three other midwives in the city.
A lot of questions she gets about the service deal with how midwives will work with the rest of the health-care system, including doctors and nurses, Langlais said.
She suggested people have a fear and misunderstanding of midwifery.
"I mean it's change," Langlais said in an interview Monday with Information Morning Fredericton. "There is hesitation because for those who are not familiar with midwifery it can bring a little bit of fear, or questions about how will it work."
"Midwifery is not new in Canada or in the world, but for New Brunswick it's a new profession right now, so a lot of information sharing is needed at this point."
The choice to have a midwife is up to the expectant mother.
But healthy women who have low-risk pregnancies should call the Fredericton program as soon as possible, if they want a spot, Langlais said.
The service can accept a limited number of women each month. Although initial demand won't be a problem, once the project becomes better established, it may be more difficult to get in, she said.
Appointments with the team will last 45 minutes, which will give women time to ask lots of questions and understand the way procedures and medications work..
The program will allow women the option to give birth at home.
"Research has shown, for a woman who is healthy or what we call low risk, it is as safe to give birth at home as it is at the hospital," said Langlais.
A doctor or midwife
Health Minister Victor Boudreau announced in February 2016 that the province would start a midwifery service, and Fredericton was later chosen for the location.
Under New Brunswick Medicare, women can't be treated by two health-care providers, so they will have to choose between a doctor and a midwife, Langlais said.
Some issues in pregnancy would fall outside the scope of her practice, requiring a consultation with a family physician or nurse practitioner or a transfer of care, she said.
Langlais, who has worked as a midwife outside New Brunswick, said many women prefer midwives because of their philosophy, which includes a calm, protected environment and a relationship of trust between mother and midwife.
For one woman in New Brunswick, the option of having a midwife is welcome.
Expects more personal care
Christine Wagorn, who lived in Ontario, said many of her friends had good experiences with midwives.
And issues Wagorn faced with her first child have pushed her to consider midwifery for her second.
"It's not that I didn't have good experience at the hospital in Fredericton," she said. "It's just they did things without letting me know, without my consent for my child."
She said a midwife would allow for a sense of comfort that a hospital setting does not.
"I think it should have been done a long time ago," she said. "A midwife is more personal, not so cold. They make you feel more comfortable. They try to encourage you on your own birth plan."
Correction : Earlier versions of this story incorrectly described the new midwifery service in Fredericton as a one-year pilot project. In fact, it is a "demonstration site" for a Horizon Health service that is expected to expand to other parts of the province and has no ending date. (May 31, 2017 10:18 AM)
