There is cautious excitement from a midwifery group in New Brunswick with word that Fredericton has been named the demonstration site for a midwifery practice.
Giving birth under licensed midwifery care hasn’t been an option pregnant New Brunswickers currently have at home, and midwives have been unable to practice in the province. New Brunswick will be one of the last areas in the country to add this service — Ontario has had it in place for more than 20 years.
NB Families For Midwives says it’s been almost nine years since the province first promised midwifery care.
Chair Sonya Burrill says that members outside of Fredericton are, however, feeling a little deflated knowing that it will be even longer until they can access care. She tells us Health Minister Victor Boudreau statement it would be four to six months for implementation for the this.
“We are really hoping for that four month mark, we have a lot of moms actually that are due in the summer, so we expect them to be able to be able to receive midwifery care and we’ll do everything we can to make sure that will happen,” says Burrill.
NB Families for Midwives says that midwives will save money for the provincial health care system and that if the province has a midwifery system that can care for just 10-percent of moms and their babies approximately $840,000 a year would be saved.
“If you’re spending time with women and if you’re available for calls and concerns, it actually ends up reducing intervention, lessening hospital stays, reducing readmission, all those types of things,” says Burrill.
A job posting for a lead midwife will go up in the next week. Three other midwives will eventually be hired for the practice.
You can hear reporter Laura Lyall‘s interview with Sonya Burill on this on Sunday after the 9am news on Pulse NB and again at 9pm. You can listen live here.
