Midwives optimistic full services to resume soon

Nova Scotia midwives are optimistic that their services will soon be available for all those who wish it as the province phases in a return from pandemic restrictions on the practice.

CJ Blennerhassett, president of the Association of Nova Scotia Midwives, said the easing of restrictions announced on Friday only applied to services provided by the IWK midwifery team.

“In our province, we have three midwifery sites, we have Antigonish, Halifax and the South Shore,” Blennerhassett said. “And the NSHA sites — Antigonish and the South Shore — they are not currently providing home care services, home births or home visits. We expect and hope that that decision will be reversed for them, as well, so midwives in other areas of the province will also return to home births really soon and we expect the NSHA to follow suit really promptly, but there is that sort of distinction right now.”

She said even with the goahead for the IWK services, it doesn't include home visits that normally would take place for the week, or longer if necessary, following the home birth.

“But that part we hope will come back soon as well,” Blennerhassett said.

“We think it's imminent.” A spokeswoman for the Nova Scotia Health Authority said via email that the timeline for the other practices to open is “fluid at this point.”

“The recommendation to reinstate the home birth program requires approval from our Emergency Operations Centre (EOC).”

Blennerhassett said the number of expectant mothers who choose home birth varies.

“Nationally, the home birth or out-of hospital birth rate with midwifery care is somewhere around between 15 to 30 per cent. And that varies by province and practice. And we see that's pretty consistent with the rate of home births in Nova Scotia. The midwives working at the South Shore have a slightly higher rate of out-of-hospital births. I don't have an exact number but a lot of people certainly now are requesting information about home birth and we have seen an increased request for home births since the pandemic has been declared.”

She said the provision of home births, visits and care in-community is essential to the midwives' jobs and “foundational” to the practice.

“So I would say the Association of Nova Scotia Midwives very much supports the position that home birth is safe, pandemic or not,” Blennerhassett said. “And there may be certain circumstances under which it cannot be offered, of course, for example, human resources if we don't have enough midwives to get to you at home, then it's not so safe. But we certainly continue to support home birth.

“We have very good evidence that keeping healthy people out of hospitals is a great way of helping to reduce community spread and do our part to keep people in their homes during this pandemic.”