Local hospital celebrates the birth of a new milestone

An undated photo of parents Laura and Tyler Desroches who recently celebrated the birth of their second child, Daisy, who was born at GBGH.(Georgian Bay General Hospital)

The birth of a new milestone began in a Georgian Bay hospital.

Over the years, Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) has been working to expand its birthing program to meet the needs of its community.

The expansion has seen both a physician-led Prenatal Clinic, as well as enhanced midwifery care through Midland Midwives By the Bay.

“The demand for our services at the Midland Midwives By the Bay has been steadily increasing, and we are fully committed to growing the local care we offer, whether it be through home births or exclusively at GBGH,” shares Lynne Marie Culliton, lead midwife at GBGH and registered midwife with Midland Midwives By the Bay.

The release states, that Midland Midwives By the Bay has increased from three to 10 providers since 2018.

• Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device 
• Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox

"The expertise of the midwives is an asset to the hospital and has helped bring mothers from the community to GBGH to receive their care close to home," stated the release.

In June of 2022, GBGH opened a physician-led Prenatal Clinic in North Simcoe to provide standardized care for pregnant women. The clinic is available once a week.

“Local women who were travelling to other areas of the region for prenatal care, can now receive it at their community hospital,” said Dr. Chevy Moreau, chief of Obstetrics and an obstetrician-gynecologist (OBGYN). “Anything we can do to remove some of the unknown or uncertainty when giving birth is a benefit to patients. It’s comforting for mothers to have their prenatal care here so when it’s time to deliver, they’re not stepping into a place they’ve never been before.”

Dr. Moreau has been helping with the development of the program since 2021.

She sees patients once per week through a Gynecology Clinic run in GBGH’s Ambulatory Care department. In 2023, The Prenatal Clinic and Gynecology Clinic received more than 1,250 patient visits.

The hospital hopes to welcome a higher volume of patients to both clinics once the hospital obtains another OBGYN.

This year, the GBGH Foundation is launching a family tree, where families can recognize a special birth by donating to the obstetrics program at the hospital.

Babies will now be identified by their names, birthdate and photos on a digital screen in the hospital’s main lobby.