Midwifery Update

This update is long overdue, as I have been extremely busy with a new baby and a new business. You can read Eowyn's birth story (at home with midwife Christina) in the previous post. My husband and I have started Due North Delivery, a baby and maternity store that offers customers 5% of their purchases as a credit towards doula and midwifery services. We decided to start this business in large part because the government has been slow in funding midwifery services in the Yukon. You can access the store at www.duenorthdelivery.com

The last midwifery working group was held in June, at which time a new policy analyst from Health and Social Services was introduced. I have not yet received any reports or documentation from our meetings, although Health and Social Services should be preparing a document.

I personally feel that Yukoners for Funded Midwifery is at a bit of a crossroads. Having been through the working group meetings and discussing the idea of regulation at length with the midwives, government personnel, medical workers, and other consumers, I do not believe it is in the best interests of women who wish to use midwifery services in the Yukon for midwifery to be regulated. This is mostly because regulation of midwifery in Canada has a history of limiting women's choices surrounding birth with a midwife, which in many cases is contrary to the safety and well-being of the woman and/or her child. However, I would like to see midwifery services become a more accessible choice for women in the Yukon through funding and for midwives to have status at the hospital to better meet the needs of women who either choose a hospital birth or require transport to the hospital.

The government has said repeatedly that the only way to funding is through regulation, but I am wondering if perhaps we should challenge this. What I would ideally like to see is a government program of reimbursement, where the women who receive midwifery services are reimbursed for their bill, rather than the government dealing with the midwives. Does anyone know of any program that would set a precedent for this? I would like to propose to the government that they have a list of midwives (which right now would be the two practicing midwives in the Yukon, Christina and Heather) whose services they will reimburse women for. The Canadian Midwifery Regulators Consortium has a standardized Canadian Midwifery Registration Examination, and the government of the Yukon could require midwives who would like to be on the list to pass this examination. The hospital could establish a set of guidelines or protocol for the interactions between midwives, doctors, nurses, and hospital staff when a midwife is attending a woman at the hospital. Does this seem really outside the realm of possibility? I've always liked to dream big! If you think this would best serve the needs and enable the choices of women in the Yukon please email me back! And come to a meeting! The government takes action in response to what we, the consumers, want and the more the better. We need to figure out a way to really get our voices heard and get the message through that this is what we want. We can discuss ideas at the next meeting.

The next meeting will be on August 26 at 7pm at my house, 17 Redwood St. in Porter Creek. Please feel free to email me at info at yffm dot ca or call me at 456-7711 for directions. We need to hear your voice!