FEATURE STORY / FROM MARGINAL TO MAINSTREAM
“continuity of care.” Typically, when a
woman in Ontario seeks out a midwife she
will actually be assigned two – a primary
and a secondary midwife. The primary
midwife is predominantly responsible for
the “client’s” care and acts as the main
point of contact. The secondary midwife
helps manage the client’s care and takes
on the responsibility of about half of their
clinical appointments. In nearly all cases,
at least one of these midwives is present at
the birth.
The second pillar of midwifery is
“informed choice”. Midwives do not direct
their client’s care. Women make as many
of their own decisions as possible, based
on the options that are explained in detail
by their midwives. Appointments with
midwives are longer and more frequent
than appointments with an obstetrician.