As a registered midwife in British Columbia, serving mainly North and West Vancouver, my heart goes out to pregnant women and their families elsewhere in BC who can’t get community-based maternity care. Equally, closer to home, although Coast Midwifery has availability in our practice to take new clients on now, I’d like to look to the future as well. As the current midwives serving our areas retire, we need to ensure that this service continues to be available here on the North Shore.
To increase midwifery service in BC something that needs to change and one of the best most cost effective ways to do it is by having more trained midwives.
Even though midwives deliver 4,000 babies per year in BC, and the need for our services is growing, there are only 10 spaces available at UBC’s school of midwifery each year.
It only makes sense that this number be increased so that more pregnant women and their families can get maternity care where and when they need it.
This would be very beneficial for underserved rural and remote communities, who often do not have access to the level of maternity care they need, as well as meeting our goals on the North Shore of continuing to provide midwifery care.
To support midwifery in BC participate in the Midwives Association of British Columbia’s “Special Delivery” letter writing campaign, you’ll help raise awareness with the provincial government about the important role midwives play in providing maternity care!
Aleka Stobo RM | UBC Graduate
