Communications
What to Expect from a Midwife
- Midwifery is a funded service and midwives are employees of Regional Health Authorities. Individuals covered by Manitoba Health do not pay to receive care from a midwife.
- Midwives are primary care providers. When a client receives care from a midwife, they do not normally also see a family doctor or obstetrician unless there are clinical indications.
- Midwives provide care for clients and their babies throughout pregnancy, during labour and birth and for about six weeks after the baby is born.
- Midwives can provide labour and birth care in home settings, birth centres and in hospitals where they have privileges.
- Midwives respect informed decision-making and recognize and support pregnant clients as the primary decision maker.
- Midwives have hospital privileges within the regions they work, they can admit their clients and provide care in the hospital. They can advocate for their clients’ unique needs.
- Midwives can order and interpret screening and diagnostic tests for clients and their newborns.
- Midwives can prescribe and administer certain drugs to manage common conditions and emergency situations.
- Midwives will accompany clients and babies into the hospital if a transport from home birth is required. Midwives will help coordinate ongoing/emergency care in case of complications and provide relevant clinical information to emergency services.
- Midwives are guided by regulations and standards of practice outlined by the College of Midwives of Manitoba. These standards can help midwives decide whether a client or baby requires additional help from a specialist.
- Midwives provide referrals/ health records to continuing care providers when discharging or transferring care.
The Midwifery Act prohibits persons who are not registered midwife members of the CMM (except in an emergency or as members of another authorized regulated profession), from performing any of the following “authorized practices”:
- assessing and monitoring women during pregnancy, labour and the post-partum period and of their newborns;
- providing care during normal pregnancy, labour and post-partum and the conducting of spontaneous vaginal deliveries;
- prescribing or administering drugs;
- ordering or receiving screening or diagnostic tests;
- performing minor surgical or invasive procedures.
Does my midwife have the required training?
In Manitoba, a person must be registered with the College of Midwives of Manitoba (CMM) in order to call themselves a midwife or practice midwifery. You can confirm that your midwife has the required training and registration by checking the ‘Find a Midwife’ tool on the CMM website at https://www.midwives.mb.ca/site/find_a_midwife
What does a midwife know and do?
Go to: www.midwives.mb.ca/site/midwifery/midwifery_in_manitoba to see a full list of midwifery core competencies.
Download this information in poster format (PDF):
What to Expect from a Midwife?