Anyone from Ontario? Help with a hospital

melandbri · August 2011

I'm just trying to figure out how to determine which hospital to go to. I dont have alot of options and im not sure of how the midwife process works. I know i need to find a midwife ASAP but how do you find out about policies of the hospitals as that will determine which midwife group to go with.

Does that make sense?

tokenhoser · August 2011

I'm in SK, but one of my friends is having a baby in Ontario in November. From what she said, I would get in with a midwife stat and worry about hospitals later. She was really lucky to get in with a midwife at all - they book up fast.

I laboured at home long enough that hospital policies didn't matter. I didn't have a choice at all, anyway, as all births happen at one hospital in my city. It was fine.

missjilly1025 · August 2011

I'm a little confused by your post. I do live in Ontario.

I live in Cambridge Ontario so I'm not in the GTA but here my MW has admitting privileges into the Cambridge Memorial Hospital. I'm not sure if it's she does in the hospitals around Cambridge like Guelph and Kitchener/Waterloo.

You said you need to find a midwife ASAP - how far along are you? Also, where in Ontario are you - some practices have wait lists.

If you could give a little more detail I might be able to give you a little more information. I'm 40w and 2d so I have been through the entire process and am just waiting for my little man to come.

melandbri · August 2011

im in Cambridge as well! But im struggling because I want to give birth in hamilton (i live on the edge of cambridge) but many midwive practices that deliver in hamilton dont serve cambridge even though they do serve other areas that are the same distance away as were i am. I am going on what their website says tho so i dont know if they will consider me by location rather than city

melandbri · August 2011

also im noy pregnant yet just trying to figure things out...hopefully will be soon tho

missjilly1025 · August 2011

I see what you're saying. The only way to find out is to call the office and see what they say. They may just leave it up to the MW to ask a certain hospital for admitting privileges - I say that because Cambridge is a small city they might be able to pull some different strings. I'm assuming you want to birth at McMaster and I can see why - great hospital!

I know that my MW is in Hamilton quite a bit because of McMaster University. Here is the website for Cambridge Midwives https://www.cambridgemidwives.ca/ I would call tomorrow and ask. They are a larger practice I think currently 10 MW and they just hired 3 more so you shouldn't be put on a wait list if that's where you end up.

Hope this works our for you - let me know if you have any other questions.

missjilly1025 · August 2011

Sorry missed that you weren't pregnant yet - good luck with your love dances

If this is important to you than I would look into it more. Have you ever thought of a home birth - I know not for some and that's okay to. This is what we are doing and that way the hospital thing doesn't even come into play unless there is an emergency.

When I found out I was pregnant I called right away but didn't see anyone until the 12 week mark. I'm not sure if this is standard practice because of the risk of miscarriage.

melandbri · August 2011

I think i would like a home birth but there is no way MH would be ok with it. Im ok with the idea of it happening in a hospital with the support of a midwife and a doula.

The reason im looking into hamiltion, maybe waterloo is that i have heard some very not nice things about this hospital but i want to know more about hospital practices in both cities to help with that decision

I wish i could find out about personal experinces from hospitals around here to get a better idea as well but i only know one person who has given birth in the last 10 years

missjilly1025 · August 2011

How much understanding do you have of midwives and the role that they play in a birth in a hospital?

When you are with a midwife the doctors and nurses don't have anything to do with you or your birth experience - it's just geography. Unless of course there is an emergency.

I had an ultrasound at the Cambridge Hospital at 25 weeks and had to go up to L & D for a non stress test and as soon as they found out I was in the care of a midwife they completely backed off and left me alone. They don't have anything to do with you when you are in a midwife's care. I wouldn't base what you have heard about the hospital on your care because quite frankly it won't make any difference.

If an emergency does happen you will have your midwives there telling you everything that is going on (during labour) and they will never leave you or your baby. Every woman in Ontario has 3 MW assigned to her. And there are always 2 that attend the birth. So if something were to happen one MW would go with baby and the other will stay with you.

Your midwife is also on call 24 hours a day for you! Meaning not matter what is going on or where she is there for you. My MW was at the hospital within minutes of me going up to the L & D for the NST and stayed with me the entire time. I have called her a couple of times late at night and once on the weekend and I always get a call back immediately. She has even offered to come by my house to have a listen to baby just to put me at ease.

I think you will be very surprised at how more involved a MW will be in your care over a Dr. and the bond that you will develop with her.

Here is the link to the Ontario Midwives website this might give you some more answers https://www.aom.on.ca/

I know my DH was a little weirded out by a home birth at first but once he had met with my MW and realized how things are done at home he came around. In fact my husband is probably a bigger advocate for home births than I am now!

If there is anything else you want to know message back and I can give you my email and we can communicate off of here.

MustanGTbaby13 · August 2011

I gave birth at Sunnybrook in Toronto with midwives from Seventh Generation. Doctors aren't involved unless they need to consult with an OB for a condition that falls outside their scope of practice and no nurses are there during your birth unless you have a transfer of care. For me however, while I was pushing my MW paged a nurse in because the baby was coming so fast that the backup MW wasn't going to make it in time...which she didn't. But once the backup arrived the nurse left.

PrincessPeach13 · August 2011

I would get on a waiting list asap for whatever midwife practices there are near you. I don't know how many are in your area or anything, but in Ottawa, there are 4 groups, they all are almost impossible to get in with because so many women want to use their services, and we were told that even if we got on the waitlist, we probably wouldn't get a spot with a midwife. They have women on the waitlists who are not even pregnant yet, just trying to conceive, because it is so hard to get a spot. I think if you can get in with a good midwife practice that you like, it won't matter so much which hospital you deliver at, as the mw will be doing things probably very differently than an ob at the same hospital would.

melandbri · August 2011

Thanks! I knew that midwives were the primary person responsible and that you would not have an OB for a hospital birht if you had a midwife unless there was a transfer of care....but for some reason i didnt put that together with thinking about which hospital.. thanks for pointing that out! lol im not sure why i didnt think about that before.

Also is it possible to go on a waiting list before you are pregnant?

missjilly1025 · August 2011

There is a huge learning curve when it comes to MW's and how they operate. I think you will be pleasantly surprised when you learn more.

There wasn't a wait for the MW here in Cambridge when I called - I was 4 weeks when I called them. They did ask if I was on a wait list for any other practices in the surrounding area. The office would know better. Like I said Cambridge just hired more MW's so I would be surprised if there was a wait list.

maddiemoon43 · August 2011

I am in London and I was wait-listed at the 2 London practices who had privileges at both London hospitals. I wanted to be at the new one over the other old one which was set to close their maternity ward the month I was due. I got taken into the St Thomas practice right away. They had privileges in St Thomas (ummm, no) and the old London hospital. Not ideal. After one appointment though I loved them and could care less which London hospital I was at, even after the two in-town practices offered me spots. In the end the new wing at the new hospital opened on time 3 weeks before DS was born and all MWs had privileges there. After building relationships with my team, I could have given birth in a barn as long as they were there. I would consider the people to be more important than the hospital. The hospital I wanted and got wouldn't have dine me any good if I didn't trust the people there with me. Good luck!

darmca · August 2011

maddiemoon43:
I am in London and I was wait-listed at the 2 London practices who had privileges at both London hospitals. I wanted to be at the new one over the other old one which was set to close their maternity ward the month I was due. I got taken into the St Thomas practice right away. They had privileges in St Thomas (ummm, no) and the old London hospital. Not ideal. After one appointment though I loved them and could care less which London hospital I was at, even after the two in-town practices offered me spots. In the end the new wing at the new hospital opened on time 3 weeks before DS was born and all MWs had privileges there. After building relationships with my team, I could have given birth in a barn as long as they were there. I would consider the people to be more important than the hospital. The hospital I wanted and got wouldn't have dine me any good if I didn't trust the people there with me. Good luck!

Ditto- I am from Sarnia and we only have 1 hospital. I really wanted a home birth and when I had to be induced due to high blood pressure I was petrified- I did not want a hospital birth. But because my midwife was there (she did everything except break my water and catch the baby because I had to be referred due to the high BP) it went very well and I got to go home 12 hours after DS was born (which I was VERY happy about- I got no help in the hospital and really wanted a nice bath with some epsom salts).

Anyone from Ontario? Help with a hospital

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