International Bumpies
shioru
member
Anyone in Vancouver Island or BC?
shioru
member
Hi everyone,
Just found out I'm pregnant and so we're moving back to my partner's family on Vancouver Island. Is there anyone in BC who can chip in with a little advice? Are there any BC pregnancy websites or resources? And what do I do once I get there - how does the system work? I'll be 12 weeks on arrival and my health insurance won't kick in for another 3 months 
Thanks 
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Re: Anyone in Vancouver Island or BC?
I'm from BC. Health care is free in Canada, you just need to apply for a provincial health card and you'll be covered. Go here to look at the enrolment process: https://www.health.gov.bc.ca/exforms/msp/enrolment.html
Then you have to decide what kind of health care provider you want for your pregnancy. Midwife or doctor. Both are covered in BC, but not both, so you have to choose. I chose midwife, and most midwife practices choose to accept you or not based on how many other women are due around the same time as you. BC has a lot of great midwifery practices. In order to find one in your area, go here: https://www.cmbc.bc.ca/pdf.shtml?List-of-Registrants
You might find this helpful too: https://www.healthypregnancybc.ca (This site has a lot of links and resources about pregnancy and having babies in BC)
BC is flooded with tons of pregnancy resources. It is also very hard to find a DR, but if you're pregnant they will take you. Midwives are better tho
what else do u want to know what someone hasn't already answered? where are you moving from? and where on the island are you moving to?
Thanks everyone for links and advice. I'll be moving to the Courtenay/Comox region - anyone there wanna say hello?
So if I choose a doctor, do I get a GP or will I be referred to a ob/gyn? If you choose a midwife do they coordinate all the scans that need to be done - 14 weeks, 18 weeks etc? What is the difference in care and delivery?
Also - prenatal classes - is this offered through the midwife/doc or do I have to find them on my own?
Oh and I would like to clarify for other international bumpies who might be moving to BC. Enrolment in BC MSP (the health care system) has a waiting period of 2-3 months - they calculate it as the balance of the month in which you arrive, plus 2 months. If you arrive mid August like I do, for example, coverage will not begin until Nov 1. You will need private insurance to cover the gap, and you cannot get insurance for pregnancy-related expenses once you are already pregnant - they call it a pre-existing medical condition :P Let's hope those two months won't be too expensive to self insure!
A midwife functions in the same way that a doctor does; they coordinate your scans and everything. The only difference is that if you become really high-risk then they may refer you to a doctor for your care. I prefer having a midwife; I've found my appointments to be less rushed, very thorough, and they care about other aspects of your pregnancy too - it's more holistic than my experiences with doctors have been. As for the delivery, midwives generally don't have nearly as many unnecessary medical interventions (generalization of course) and they also have a lower c-section rate.
I can't answer your question about GP vs. OBgyn and the referral, since I didn't have a doctor, but I'm sure if you called a doctor's office in bc they could answer that for you.
A lot of hospitals offer their own prenatal classes which are usually free I believe. I paid for a private one, I think it was $300. But your GP or midwife would give you all the information on the ones offered in your area.
Thanks Jennifer! I've decided to try a midwife - will see how it goes!