Hello there,
Could the moms preferably from Ontario or Canada please let me know their experience with a mid-wife? Has anyone used one instead of a OB/GYN? What was the experience like during pregnancy and also during labour and delivery? I have heard mid-wives take care of you better generally and can give you more one-on-one attention. Is this true? Anyone with a good experience? Anyone who has experienced both and can compare the two? Thanks a bunch!
Re: Mid-wife vs. OB/GYN in Canada
well I am not a woman but my $0.02 are here anyway. Even though midwife/birthing centers provide more attention, more friendly blah blah, they are still just nurses. If any complications were to arise or if you have pre-eclampsia, wouldn’t you rather have a physician in a fully equipped hospital who would be able to deal with these situations than a nurse.
Re: Mid-wife vs. OB/GYN in Canada
^ as far as i know ontario doesn’t have very many birthing centers, if at all. actually, no, i think sunnybrook hospital has one but then you’re in a hospital, so any issues can be dealt with immediately. HOWEVER most midwives are highly trained- not that nurses aren’t, but midwifery goes beyond nursing, i believe- and most groups of midwives are associated with hospitals, i.e they have privileges to practice there. ALSO if you are over the age of 35 you are classified high risk, and/or if you are having multiples or have had any complications of any kind during your current pregnancy or in past pregnancies, midwives will refuse you care and refer you to an OB instead.
to answer your question, candy_apple: yes, you’re right. midwives offer more personalized care than an OB. i wait for an hour to see mine for 5 minutes, literally. he comes in, measures my belly, asks if i’m good, and then he leaves. but then i’m not in need of specialized care alhamdulillah so i get it. there are women who are more in need of this and that is what an OB specializes in so it makes sense most of his time is spent at their side.
if you are planning to deliver at any of the downtown hospitals, call a midwife group as soon as the stick shows a positive. midwives with downtown hospital privileges are few and there are very many women giving birth at any given time. i tried when i was pregnant with my son and even though i called in september for a june delivery, i was told i was out of luck. summers are busier months, apparently. i didn’t want to opt for a midwife without privileges because then she’s just another support person in the delivery room and between my husband and my mom, i felt i was covered there. when a midwife has hospital privileges, it means she delivers your baby at that hospital instead of an OB. if you are giving birth in oakville, hamilton, mississauga, scarborough, etc. then you have a greater chance of finding a midwife.
my thoughts on midwives? i’m not sure. a friend of mine was asked to stay home during the early stages of labour by her midwife. by the time her midwife arrived, it was too late for her to transfer to a hospital, and she had her baby on her living room floor. to me that’s a nightmare. on the other hand, i have very religious friends who prefer midwives because they are women and because of the home birth factor and who have successfully and without complications delivered their babies at home. a home birth is entirely unappealing to me. also the few midwives i spoke to were also very pro-natural births and i had no interest in that. i wanted the epidural as soon as i could get it. i didn’t even want to try for a natural labour, to be frank. so there’s that. of course in the end it is your decision. if your midwife says do you want to go to the hospital and you say yes, then you go to the hospital and you deliver there but these are the kinds of things you must discuss with your midwife prior to making that commitment to her. if she really isn’t interested in anything but a home birth and/or a drug free birth and you don’t agree then its not the right care model for you. also, i do have friends who’ve had midwives and have had very successful deliveries in hospital with their midwives by their side so its not like a midwife will not assist in a hospital birth. like i said, just make sure she has privileges at the hospital of your choice.
i suppose the biggest advantage of a midwife, other than the round the clock type of care and the more holistic mother and child care, is the after-care. they will visit your home for several weeks afterwards and provide one on one care with breastfeeding, bathing, taking care of baby and you, etc. that’s a big bonus with midwives that an OB doesn’t provide. a toronto public health nurse will also visit you at home post-delivery to make sure everything is fine but of course receiving help from someone whose been looking after you from day one is better than that. you can also hire a doula or a lactation consultant to do these things for you but you have to pay for those and it can be upwards of $600. i’m looking into a doula for this time around because i had a really rough recovery and a very hard time nursing with my son, and this time inshallah i’m hoping having someone there to provide that personalized care will allow me to nurse successfully. it’ll be expensive but i hope worth it in the end!
so i mean, yes midwives can be great, but an OB experience can also be great and you can hire people to help you out afterwards. and of course if you do have any complications in your pregnancy or have to have a C section, then nothing beats an OB. they’re trained to provide care in those situations and they’re very good at what they do. a midwife will have to step aside in the case of a C.
sorry if that was a bit all over the place- its late 
Re: Mid-wife vs. OB/GYN in Canada
^ Thanks so much for your input SGC. That really helps a lot, especially the scary experience your friend had. I guess there is good and bad to every approach right?
Yes, I am exactly like you. I want the epi the second I can get it. In fact for my first, I ended up having two top ups of the epidural, so I was quite comfy throughout to say the least.
I think my main fear is that with my first, I delivered at Mount Sinai, which is really one of the top notch hospitals to not only receive your pre-natal care. Everything went perfectly there. All the nurses and doctors were so attentive, caring and knew exactly what they were doing. I felt so safe in their care.
My daughters head was not turned the right way, and one of the doctors came in 7 times to try and turn her head (over the course of several hours) so that I can still have a vaginal delivery and not have to go with a c-section. The doctor did not give up and on the 7th try he managed to turn her head. This was the biggest relief for me because I just did not want a c-section and wanted to try and avoid that however it is humanly possible.
This time, I have my daughter and since I live in sauga, I won’t have the time to go all the way downtown for my care so not getting my care at Mount Sinai scares the crap out of me.
I will be delivering at Credit Valley and my doc is supposed to refer me to the OB/GYN team there. Some of the docs have good reviews, while others have terrible reviews. You are seen by different docs everytime and the one on call on the day of your delivery is the one that delivers the baby. This scares me too. Luck of the draw I guess?
I know I want an epi and I want to delivery in hospital for sure, but I also want the person (mid-wife or OB/GYN) to have the expertise to AVOID a c-section at all costs. I think that is my biggest fear and not sure which of the two is better at doing that…
Re: Mid-wife vs. OB/GYN in Canada
I delivered at Sinai too and whilst my OB is consistent throughout, the doctor on call will deliver the baby once you are in labour. So I guess it’s the same there too, except in your case I guess your OB was on call when you delivered? They do everything to avoid a C there, I agree. I was in labour for 15 hours before they decided and only because I was at 8 cms, wasn’t progressing and he got stuck. Can you request an OB at Credit Valley? It’s odd that you don’t have one assigned to you but are seen by everyone… Hrm. In your case, given your concerns, I would look into a midwife. Sounds like you need a consistent advocate throughout. Start with the hospital though and see if there are any midwife groups with privileges at the hospital. That’ll be key to making sure they can deliver your baby, and midwives do try their hardest for a vaginal birth vs. a C so you would be in good hands.
Re: Mid-wife vs. OB/GYN in Canada
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Re: Mid-wife vs. OB/GYN in Canada
Credit Valley Hospital is funded for a regulated number of deliveries per month to provide safe care for you and your family. Below is a list of delivering care providers at our hospital.
Obstetrical Practice at 2000 Credit Valley Rd
contact number: 905-820-8748
Family Medicine Teaching Unit at 2300 Eglinton Ave
contact number: 905-813-3850
Family Doctors who deliver at CVH:
Dr Linda Deppisch: 905-826-1164
Dr Jane Park: 905-826-1164
Dr Kim Leveille: 905-615-0990
Dr Wendy Griffin: 905-820-8144
Dr John Charal: 905-828-2837
Dr Erez Tamari: 905-820-2646
Midwifery Care of Peel and Halton Hills: 905-890-4914 (will join our hospital in 2012)