Midwives at Lucina Centre

We are currently a team of two midwives and a senior student. Your prenatal visits will alternate between midwives to give you the opportunity to know both of us during the course of your pregnancy. A midwife is always on-call for the practice. When you go into labour, whichever midwife is on-call will attend your birth and call in a second midwife for backup at the time of birth. The on-call midwife can be contacted at any time during your pregnancy or postpartum for emergencies. We meet regularly as a team to discuss our clients and review charts. By working together, we are able to provide you with continuity of care while ensuring that the midwife you are with is well rested.

Prenatal Visits

Our prenatal visits will take place in our clinic at the Lucina Centre; 9505-163 Street. Initial visits often last 1 hour and regular visits after that tend to be 30 minutes. Please feel free to bring family members, children or a friend with you to your appointment. Appointments will be monthly until you are 28 weeks pregnant, every 2 weeks until you are at 36 weeks, and then weekly until your baby is born. We offer “Centering Pregnancy” which is group prenatal care with the other women that are due the same month. You participate more actively in your check up and the group discussions are very informative as women share their experiences. During prenatal visits we monitor your pregnancy by doing routine clinical checks on both you and your growing baby. Blood pressure checks, fetal heart checks, fetal growth and position assessments are part of each visit. We can order prenatal labs, blood tests, ultrasounds and prenatal genetic screening. We can prescribe medications for you and your baby. In addition to ensuring your physical well-being, we will discuss the emotional aspects of pregnancy with you and help you prepare for childbirth and new parenthood.

Labour and Birth

The Lucina Midwives are mainly focused on offering waterbirth at the Lucina Centre. We believe that water is a very simple but powerful tool in supporting women having a natural birth. The quiet and peaceful environment at the centre is also conducive to assist women to relax and feel comfortable. We feel it is important for you to plan to birth where you feel safe and comfortable. The midwives will be with you throughout labour and birth and stay until you are ready to go home, which is often 4-6 hours after birth. If complications arise we transfer to the closet hospital available and we stay with you until your baby is born.

Post-Natal Care

We will care for both you and your baby for the first six weeks after the birth. In the first week we do regular home visits to ensure that your questions are answered, the health of you and your baby is monitored, and that you have support with breast-feeding. We will then see you at our clinic around 2 weeks and 4 weeks with a final visit at 6 week. If your baby has any health concerns, immediate referral to a pediatrician or an appropriate specialist will be arranged.

Education

We provide all women with resources about pregnancy and childbirth preparation. We offer prenatal classes and work closely with a Hypnobirthing practitioner at the Lucina Centre. The centre has a lending library and childbirth videos to view.

Doulas

You are welcome to have a doula at your birth. Doulas provide physical and emotional support during labour, and will often provide postpartum support. They do not provide clinical care.

Students

As preceptors we support senior midwifery students in their clinical learning and supervise new registrants in their first year as midwives. Students enrich our practice by bringing with them great enthusiasm and new ideas.