"My Midwifery Group Practice Experience"

I had both of my children at Kind Edwards Memorial Hospital, 3 years apart. Both were low risk pregnancies without complications at delivery.

My first pregnancy was monitored through the main KEMH, I was fortunate enough to have 2 consistent midwives monitor me from 22 weeks gestation however this was only by coincidence and neither of these midwives were present during the birth of my daughter. 

For my second pregnancy, I was offered the MGP program since my pregnancy was low risk. I had one midwife that monitored me from 22 weeks, with the exception of only a couple of appointments. This same midwife also delivered my baby on the day. I didn’t expect for there to be such a huge difference in care between my two pregnancies. Even as someone who had minimal complications and issues throughout both the pregnancy and birth, it was comforting to have one point of contact that could address your concerns straight away or guide you through what care to seek next. On the day of the birth, I felt very confident that my midwife knew my whole medical history well and would advocate for me in case I was unable to. My newborn was also visited by the midwives for a week after the birth to check on his weight gain and my recovery. I found all the midwives that were very supportive and clearly loved the work that they do. 

I found that the MGP made my pregnancy and birth effortless. I always felt listened to and respected with all my concerns on past health problems acknowledged and discussed with appropriate professionals.

There are so many things that can happen in the lead up or during birth that can require quick decisions - I felt that the MGP program allows for that burden to fall away from both the mothers and their partners at an already stressful time.

I strongly recommend the MGP program to all future mothers and I hope it becomes the standard level of antenatal care for the majority of women one day.