Midwives are one of the fastest growing professions in the province and our area has seen a spike since 2013.

When Brenda Moore found out she was pregnant with her daughter Brooke, she knew right away she wanted a midwife.

“My older sister had a midwife for both of her children and I saw the one-on-one care that she had. She really enjoyed the experience so I wanted to do that.”

Moore went with the alternative to her family doctor and admits some people were skeptical of her decision.

“When I used to say I’m going to have a midwife at the beginning of my pregnancy; people were like ‘oh why?’ I just don’t think people have the knowledge of what midwives actually are and I think people should look into them because they’re fantastic,” added Moore.

Midwives are registered health care workers who care for mom and baby through the pregnancy, the birth and post-partum.

“So far it’s been a really good experience for me and a lot better than the in-and-out of the hospital, it’s just more personable,” says expectant mother Amanda Dwyer.

In Barrie, The Midwife Clinic is busier than ever. In 2014, 456 people worked with a midwife – that’s a 44% increase from 2013.

“We’re one of the fastest growing professions in Ontario. Our growth is managed by the Ontario Midwifery Program that’s part of the Ministry of Health so that we’re not growing inappropriately in areas where you don’t need midwives,” said registered midwife Sara Stainton.  

Provincial statistics also show an increase in those who are going with a midwife. Last year more than 19,000 mothers worked with a midwife, that’s 2,000 more compared to 2013.

Midwifery care is covered by the province which means you don’t have to pay for it.

Expecting mothers go in for check-ups, the same as they would with a doctor but one big difference between the two is the care after the baby is born.

“We do our visits minimum – day one, day three, day five, and day 10 to 14 post-partum and most of that care happens at home,” adds Stainton.

“They just made you feel comfortable; you have your family there. I had my family, I had my husband but they were the professionals that I knew that if I really had a serious question or something was going wrong that they would be there to help,” says Moore.