The organizer of a demonstration in support of Nova Scotia’s midwifery program says it was that program that drew her to the province.
Danielle Griffin moved to the South Shore from New Brunswick over a year ago.
She had her first child with a privately hired midwife in New Brunswick.
“We were so excited to be coming to the South Shore where we knew the medical model and the midwifery model worked together and everyone was comfortable with both models, that was extremely important to us.”
She and her husband are trying to conceive a second child and are worried there won’t be midwifery services available in the future.
Griffin believes in order for the program to work, it needs support from the province.
“If you want the model to be successful, you have to fund it and you have to support and that’s not happening,” says Griffin. “And there’s no reason that it isn’t happening because the regulations and the framework is already in place.”
Griffin pointed to the “Midwifery in Nova Scotia” report – an external review that was done in 2011 that recommended hiring 20 positions province-wide by 2017.
There are approximately 10 positions currently but the two on the South Shore are vacant due to staffing issues.
The report noted in 2011 that the two midwives had full caseloads and were having difficulty accomodating women with home births because they require two attendants.
The report referred to it as “a situation that can lead to excess fatigue and become unsustainable over time.”
Overall the external review determined the overall model was not sustainable.
“In our view midwifery in NS cannot long survive in its present state. If nothing is done, the profession will collapse and the benefits of regulation will not be realized. There are too few members to meet increasing requests for midwifery care, provide services safely and effectively, and attend to the complexity of regulatory and professional association activities that are required of a newly regulated profession,” reads the report.
Griffin, as well as other mothers have called on the province to follow the recommendations of that report.
NDP leader Gary Burrill, is also pushing for government to revisit the report, saying his party would have followed the recommendations.
The protest is set for tomorrow at 10 AM in front of MLA Mark Furey’s office in Bridgewater.
Griffin says the event will be peaceful and she expects to see plenty of families and pregnant women there.
Photo credit: Brittany Wentzell
