This month saw the launch of a movement to bring midwifery to Squamish. New and expecting mothers are gathering supporters and appealing to Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) to highlight a desperate need for more options in birthing. Midwifery is a complicated issue of potentially life-altering benefits and risks. But one thing is clear: something must be done to address the growing need for obstetric care in Squamish. Anecdotal stories are shocking: one pregnant woman tells of being bounced from family practices that no longer take patients, to drop-in clinics (how personal is that?) which, she's told, don't do pre-natal care, to finally finding a doctor - who can't see her until her 15th week of pregnancy. This problem is far from new. Although VCH states it doesn't keep track of pregnant women who find care outside of Squamish, The British Columbia Reproductive Care Program (BCRCP) in 2006 published statistics that showed only 40 per cent of the 375 births that occur on average to women resident in the Sea to Sky Corridor take place at Squamish General Hospital. In 2002, an analysis of births in the corridor showed that 55 per cent of pregnant women residents in Squamish delivered at the SGH. Some of the women described their reasons for choosing to give birth in Vancouver as a lack of midwifery services or specialized obstetrical care, and limited services available at SGH.The Collaboration for Maternal and Newborn Health mobilized in September 2006, to address the problem, holding a forum on rural care in the Sea to Sky Corridor to "facilitate discussion on current concerns about local birth services and how to plan effectively to meet future needs."CMNH acknowledged that no registered midwives practised in the corridor, but, in a not-so-subtle show of support, invited three midwives practising in Vancouver who had applied for privileges at SGH. The recommendation was that new models of education and practice within the health services community needed to be developed. In the end, the forum indicated hope for the future. "Many students felt inspired and excited to hear about plans for increased interprofessional collaboration. They believed that this would improve practice and create more support for new families in the Sea to Sky Corridor." But the wheels of bureaucracy turn excruciatingly slowly, and we may still be a long way away from policy changes that will reflect our ever-growing need.
