“So, what do you do?” This is the question we often get asked as midwives when we are off-call and out with friends. We smile because this question is likely going to lead to one of two outcomes. The first involves intense questioning for thirty minutes on the safety of a midwife. The second involves being asked to “please take me (or my friend) into midwifery care, so I can bypass the wait list.”

“But you aren’t a doctor? How can you deliver babies without being a doctor?” This lack of knowledge about our role and responsibilities is common. We then explain how catching a baby isn’t overly difficult. We train to be able to navigate birth when the complications and emergencies arise. We continue to smile and discuss the four-year university program and the many births that we are required to attend to become a Registered Midwife.

“So how much do you cost?” We explain that we are covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) and there is no cost associated with midwifery care. Insert confused look by this inquisitive stranger.

“You have to have your baby at home, though right?” We report that we offer home birth as an option, which has been shown to be safe in Canada, but many of our clients do give birth at London Health Sciences Center. The questions could go on and on.  If only we had all the time in the world to explain what midwifery is to everyone. If only we had time to discuss the kinds of services we offer, stating how much we love this job and what it has to offer us.

We describe how we provide access to a midwife 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. We highlight how we respond to your calls in labour, your false alarms, to your miscarriages, your preterm labours, your panic attacks and your flu’s and illnesses. We are often helping you navigate Dr. Google and the fact that it may be a little misleading. We call back to discuss your postpartum depression symptoms and your biggest fears. Midwifery even means addressing your overwhelming realization that “I too could possibly have to push a baby out of my vagina!”

We call obstetricians to help us care for you when we know there is something concerning going on, and we need their help to assist you. Helping nurses give us a hand at times, so as a team, we can provide exceptional care to you. This whole system of care providers allows us to support you and your needs.

“The best part of it all though? We actually love this work”

“You can’t have an epidural though with a midwife, right?” This is the most common myth of all in the London community. Midwives still care for you throughout your labour and birth regardless of which way you choose to birth.

One of our Talbot Creek Midwives, Michelle, said it so eloquently, “Midwifery is a profession that allows me to work with my heart and my hands.”

Although it also requires quite a bit of thinking and troubleshooting, we get to help you birth your baby regardless of which way you can. We get to make you feel safe in the hospital, or safe at home. Either way, we surround you with love and support. Either place is good for us!

Who can have a midwife?

We manage low-risk pregnancy, which means that we can take care of you if you are not experiencing certain complications in your pregnancy. Even if you are, we can still remain involved if your care requires a transfer to an obstetrician.  Although we may not be performing a cesarian section, we can certainly help you navigate the uncertainty, and make it a little easier for you and your partner. After all, we love to take beautiful birth photos of you and your family in the operating room too!

We see you for clinic appointments at the same rates, or sometimes more, than other healthcare providers. Attending your labour and birth keeps our hearts full. Visiting you at home in the postpartum to help you feed and grow your baby (however you choose to do this) is a great way to start our day. There is nothing like hitting the open road with our coffee in hand, and music playing on the radio.  After all, sleep-deprived clients and their partners need love and attention too! Sometimes it is nice to see a familiar face showing up to give you some sound, evidenced-based advice when you aren't sure what to do with a crying baby.

So who are the Talbot Creek Midwives?

We are a team of midwives that are constantly evolving and getting stronger together. We are well-trained and are committed to sharing our expertise with each other and you-to foster excellence in all that we do. We are a safe space for any potential client, from every type of background, sexual orientation and identity to come and receive excellent, supportive care.

Our practice values reflect our amazing team. These values include: Respect, Professionalism, Leadership, Knowledge and true Team Collaboration. We like to spread kindness and empathy in all areas of our work. Midwifery is a truly rewarding profession. We have, however, discovered that it is a short career for many midwives who do not support each other and obtain some level of work-life balance. It is through our strong team-building work and our wonderful on-call schedule that we are able to bring our best selves. Truly spending a little time with all of us will give you the best and broadest perspective on this journey.

One of the best ways we give back to the profession is by training and sharing our evolving skills and expertise with the next generation of midwives. We are a teaching practice and provide an environment that is safe for students and clients to learn from each other. We will at times also have nurse practitioners in training attend our clinic for opportunities to learn.

Our goal is always to provide the student what they need to succeed and thrive in the profession, while ensuring that the client is receiving exceptional and safe care. We pride ourselves in cultivating a healthy mentoring culture whereby training midwives and students can speak freely and openly about their strengths and weaknesses. Everyone deserves learning opportunities that are met with kind and knowledgeable mentors.

The Talbot Creek team has some great ideas for future development of the practice. We have midwives with interests in many diverse areas of care- but we don't want to give it all away!  We conduct research together and at London Health Sciences Centre to help improve outcomes for clients and their babies. Photos of your experiences in our care are always welcomed to showcase in our gallery and to serve as wonderful memories for us! If interested, send them to our office administrator at admin@talbotcreekmidwives.ca.

A client portal will be added to our website soon to allow current clients access for learning and educational materials. These materials will help you gain further understanding of this thing called pregnancy and parenthood.

For those of you who have already been integrated into our Talbot Creek Family, we have a new beautiful practice location. Our new website at talbotcreekmidwives.ca is now available for viewing. Please be sure to stop by and see what all the fuss is about!

If you see us around the office, we will be smiling, laughing and enjoying our job- because we truly do! Say hi and introduce yourself, even if you don’t have one of those midwives on your team. We are a close group, and we are constantly lending hands. Even if you don't know us, we might know you! Even if we are not on your team of midwives, we might still be lending a helping hand, or ear in some way.

For those of you who don’t know us yet- be sure to do your research and see if midwifery care would benefit you and your growing family. We hope this has been a helpful introduction to what we do.

If you think our team of midwives is right for you, please stop by our website and fill out our request for care form. Looking forward to meeting you!

The Talbot Creek Team