Our midwives work in teams of two or three. A member of your midwife team will be on call 24 hours a day and 7 days a week for your labour and birth. You will page your primary midwife when you are in labour, and your midwife will be in contact with you over the phone and will attend to you once active labour is established.
During labour and birth, our care includes the assessment of labour progress, monitoring the mother’s vital signs and the baby’s heartbeat and position, and assisting with the birth of the baby and placenta. A second midwife will be present to assist in the delivery closer to the time of your birth.
Giving Birth with a midwife
Unless there is a transfer of care, no other medical personnel are involved with the birth. If complications develop in labour or during the birth, your midwife will consult and/or transfer care to the appropriate specialist as indicated. If care is transferred to an obstetrician or pediatrician for any reason, your midwife will stay involved in a supportive role.
If you like to have a pain relief for the labour and delivery, such as epidural anesthetic, we will ask the anesthesiologist on-call to place the epidural. Afterwards, your midwives will remain for your care.
Wherever possible, your partner, family, or friends should provide the most important emotional support. We recommend that during prenatal appointments, your midwives meet the person (or persons) whom you plan to have with you during your labour and birth.
There may be times, due to illness, vacations, or the occurrence of simultaneous births, when two midwives will not be available to attend the birth. At a hospital birth, the second birth attendant will be a labour and delivery nurse. If you are planning a home birth or TBC birth and a second midwife is not available, you may be asked to move to the hospital for the birth. In urgent situations, an ambulance may be called for extra help.
Birthplace
With our care, you have the choice of having your baby at home, at Toronto Birth Centre (TBC), or at hospital. We have Toronto Birth Centre privileges, and hospital privileges at Scarborough Health Network, General site and Centenary site. We encourage you to take the opportunity to discuss your choice of birthplace with your midwives. Your midwives are responsible to plan care appropriately when contraindications to out-of-hospital birth arise.
Home Birth Supplies Checklist
Hospital Birth Supplies Checklist
Choosing Home Birth
Water Birth
Thinking about water birth? A water birth is childbirth that occurs in water, usually in a tub or small pool. For women with uncomplicated pregnancies, water births can be a positive choice for labour that can decrease interventions and increase their enjoyment of the labour experience. With Trillium Midwives, you can choose water birth at home, at TBC, or at the hospital. Our privileged hospitals are water birth friendly hospitals.