3 minute read
Birth helper
CITYLIFE | HEALTH Your birth, your choice
BY STACIE GAETZ
Giving birth is one of the most amazing experiences of a woman’s life.
It is also one of the most uncertain. No matter how much planning and preparation you put into it, there are no guarantees about what your birth process will look like.
Luckily, there are specially trained professionals who can help make the experience less daunting.
However, working with these professionals can raise its own set of questions.
How do you know if having a midwife is right for you? What’s the difference between a midwife and a doula?
We hope this story will help to answer some of those questions, as well as share the experiences of two local women who used midwives and say the birth professionals made their experience everything they had hoped it would be.
Doula A birth doula supports an expecting person/couple/family through pregnancy, labour and birth.
Shaira Montgomery is a birth and postpartum doula and the owner of Growing Love Doula Services in Airdrie.
Montgomery took her DONA (Doulas of North America) training in August of 2019 and became certified in January of 2020.
She has supported more than 20 births and a number of families as a postpartum doula.
“Birth is a significant piece to our story and journey in life. I have the opportunity to truly impact this moment for people,” says Montgomery.
“My goal as a birth doula is to give you and your partner the attention, knowledge, resources and confidence you need to make informed decisions about your pregnancy and birth experience.”
Doulas and birth attendants are not regulated and can provide emotional support and comfort measures, but not health care or delivery of babies.
The cost of doula services is not covered by Alberta Health Services and is the responsibility of the patient.
Montgomery says it is important that expecting parents interview a number of doulas and ask them detailed questions about their training and experience.
“Inviting someone into your birth space is a big deal, so be sure to be happy and confident with who you have by your side in these momentous times,” she says.
Midwife A registered midwife (RM) provides the complete course of care to women and their babies during low-risk pregnancy, labour, birth and the postpartum period. This includes physical examinations, screening and diagnostic tests, and delivery of the baby.
Christia Copeland is an RM with Airdrie Midwives and says one of the most common misconceptions is that if you have a midwife, you have to give birth at home.
“That’s not at all true,” she says. “We have privileges at all of the hospitals in Calgary. Having a midwife really opens up your options to give birth where and how you want.”
RMs can attend to births in hospitals, birth centres or the mother’s home. Registered Midwives are publicly funded; there is no fee for service.
“In my personal experience, having a midwife allows for a professional, warm and personalized birth experience,” she adds.
Airdrie Midwives is a satellite practice of Birth Partnership Midwives and has been in operation since 2017. They service Airdrie and a number of surrounding communities including Cremona, Linden, Beiseker and Irricana.
Moms Carolyn Wiersma gave birth to her son in May 2020 in the bathtub of her Airdrie home with the help of an Airdrie midwife.
She says the benefits of using a midwife include one-on-one attention, top-notch care and dealing with the same person throughout the whole pregnancy, labour and after care.
“My husband and I were never rushed or brushed off when we would approach them with so many questions, no matter how ridiculous,” she says.
“Everyone on our team that we met, [they] were very reassuring, knowledgeable, and were excellent listeners. I felt so empowered to be able to advocate for my type of birth and be supported by midwives who knew what they were doing, and they do it so well.”
Wiersma used a midwife for the birth of her daughter as well in 2017 in a hospital in Calgary.
Stephanie Edgington gave birth to her son in her home in Irricana in August 2020 with the help of an Airdrie midwife.
“To them, pregnancy, birth and the postpartum journey are not primarily a medical condition – they are stages in a woman’s and family’s life that are to be enjoyed and celebrated,” she says.
“I was able to email my midwives at any time of the day or night with questions, and whoever was on call would get back to me usually within a few hours. It was so comforting to have their expertise at my fingertips as opposed to waiting for a doctor’s appointment to ask my questions.” life
