Midwives bridge gaps in health care

By Jenn Watt

Nov. 22, 2016 - The Haliburton County Echo

Midwives in Ontario spend four years training in low-risk obstetrics. They are registered with the College of Midwives of Ontario and are held to high standards of training and practice. Still, local midwives say, there are misconceptions about what they can provide and questions about how they fit into pregnancy care.

"Some of the misconceptions are we don't have a university education, that we're not licensed," says registered midwife Stephanie Simon, who joined the Haliburton & Bancroft Midwives in October. "Another misconception is we only do deliveries at home and that we don't do clinical things."

While midwives do offer women the option of delivering at home when it is safe to do so, they have permissions at area hospitals and carry with them the same equipment as a Level 1 hospital.

Registered midwife Kathleen Perecko says in the Haliburton and Bancroft communities there's still a gap in awareness about the work they do.

To address some of the questions and curiosity the public might have about their services, Haliburton & Bancroft Midwives along with their community support group, Friends of Haliburton-Bancroft Midwives, are hosting a Christmas open house on Friday, Nov. 25 starting at 4:30 p.m. - the same day as the Santa Claus Parade in Haliburton.

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