We are so lucky here in Alberta. To care for our us we get not one but two options of who we would like to overseeing our pregnancy, an OB or a midwife. While OB’s have been the standard for a long time, midwives are gaining in their popularity. Both options are covered by Alberta health, so there’s no extra cost to choosing midwifery care. 

So what makes the experience with a midwife different than that of an OB? When you choose a midwife you know that you’ll have the same person taking care of you your entire pregnancy. From each appointment, birth, and follow up care you can be sure you’ll have the same midwife or group of midwifes taking care of you the whole way through! You can really form a bond with your midwife because they are the same person overseeing your entire pregnancy. My midwife Marie I have used now for both of my pregnancies. Throughout the course of my pregnancies I really formed a bond with her and both my husband and I loved our relationship and our experience with her and couldn’t imagine having anyone else bring our babies into the world. It’s great to have someone who gets to know you, your family, and your history be there as a support throughout your pregnancies. 

When you choose a midwife they make you part of the process in choosing how you’d like your care to go. You can choose where you’d like to give birth, a hospital, at home, a birthing centre, etc it’s all your choice. They present you with the facts and let you choose what’s best for you. It’s a great feeling to know that you have a say in how you’re treated during an important time and not feel like decisions are just being made for you. I’ve had to be induced with both of my pregnancies now because of smaller babies, but both times my midwife gave me options and presented me with the facts, I never felt like I was being cornered into something I didn’t want, which was really important to me. 

Midwives also are there for more than just your pregnancy, labour, and birth, they continue their care up to 6 weeks postpartum. They’ll continue to make sure both baby and Mama are doing well and thriving before passing over care to your primary physician. As a new Mama it’s so great to have someone who already knows your little one from the beginning to be checking up on them and also who can help you navigate the first few weeks of your own healing. When my daughter was born, not only was she tiny but she was jaundiced. For the first few days after bring home, my midwife came to our house each day to check on her and take samples to make sure she didn’t need to go under the lights, and also she was available to txt to ask questions when I was concerned about my daughter. It was such a comfort being a new first time Mama and put me completely at ease to know I had someone watching over my daughter and whom I could ask questions without judgement. 

So when is a good time to request a midwife? The second you pee on that stick and get a positive! Lol but honestly, due to their increasing popularity there are less midwives available, so they do encourage you to apply as soon as you know you’re expecting. You can apply for a midwife here on their website. You get to choose your top few picks of which midwife practice you’d like, and if there’s a spot available they will contact you. If you haven’t heard anything by the time you’re 10-12 weeks pregnant they tell you to look for another route of care for your pregnancy (just because there may not be availability for a midwife for you and do not want you to miss out on care for your pregnancy). If you’re lucky enough to receive midwife care, it’s an experience I guarantee will make you never want to choose anything else!