Midwives in Hamilton to deliver change

Midwives are urging all political parties to support the development of birth centres in Ontario. Birth centres, and other changes needed to better support maternal-newborn health, are the focus of this year's 27^th Annual General Meeting and Conference of the Association of Ontario Midwives (AOM).
"Birth centres provide a safe, supportive environment where women can access prenatal, labour, birth and post-partum care," said Katrina Kilroy, RM, president of the AOM. "We believe they can improve maternal-newborn care while cutting health care costs."
Birth centres are well established in the US, UK, Australia and Quebec. Ontario midwives currently attend births in both home and hospital, but there is increasing demand from women and families for another out-of-hospital birth option. Birth centres help divert healthy women and newborns from hospital, which in turn lowers costly intervention rates such as c-sections. They provide for community-based care in a family-oriented environment.

More than 100 midwives will gather May 17 - 19 in Hamilton to discuss both the campaign and the latest research in maternity care. They will be joined by midwives from Manitoba and Quebec who will discuss how birth centres function in those provinces. Penny Simkin, a widely renowned American childbirth educator, will provide a full day of clinical workshops. Madeleine Boscoe, RN, will present a keynote address on advocacy in maternal and newborn care. Bridget Lynch, RM, president of the International Confederation of Midwives and a Toronto midwife, will provide the closing keynote address.

There are over 500 Registered Midwives in Ontario, serving communities in 85 clinics across the province. Midwives have privileges at most Ontario hospitals. They have been provincially funded and regulated since 1994.
A midwife is a registered health care professional who provides primary care to women with low-risk pregnancies. Midwives provide care throughout pregnancy, labour and birth and provide care to both mother and baby during the first six weeks following the birth. The Association of Ontario Midwives is the professional organization representing midwives and the profession of midwifery in Ontario.