Fredericton Midwifery Centre

To reach the Midwifery office, please call (506) 452-5896.

Most clients will self-refer to the midwifery program by contacting the midwifery office directly. Physicians and nurse practitioners can refer their patients to a midwife.

You can contact a midwife as soon as you know you are pregnant.

Most midwives will want to see you for your first visit as soon as you find out you are pregnant. The midwife will likely book long introductory appointments to allow you a chance to learn about the midwifery practice and decide if midwifery care is right for you.

Midwifery services are currently available in Fredericton.

In Canada, midwives are autonomous primary care providers who provide high quality prenatal, intrapartum, postpartum, and newborn care.   A midwife can order routine tests and lab work and can prescribe certain medications.  A midwife’s scope of care includes guidelines on when to consult, when to do shared care or when to do a transfer of care to another health care provider.

From the World Health Organization:  Midwifery encompasses care of women during pregnancy, labour and the postpartum period, as well as care of the newborn.  It includes measures aimed at preventing health problems in pregnancy, the detection of abnormal conditions, the procurement of medical assistance when necessary, and the execution of emergency measures in the absence of medical help.

A midwife has a four-year Bachelor of Health Sciences in Midwifery degree.  The program includes class components and clinical placements. Class subjects include sciences, pharmacology, normal childbirth, emergencies, and clinical skills.  Placements are done with different midwifery practices, as well as with obstetricians, labour and delivery nurses and others healthcare practitioners.

Following graduation, the midwife writes the Canadian Midwifery Registration Exam.  The first year of practice is known as the new registrant year and needs to be done in an established midwifery practice.  Midwives have to remain up to date with current research and evidence.  They need to regularly recertify in CPR-HCP, NRP and emergency skills courses, such as ALARM or ESW.

The choice of where the baby is born is a fundamental philosophy of midwifery care.  In the Fredericton area, the options will be homebirth or a hospital birth at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital.

For a low-risk pregnancy, with a registered midwife who is part of the healthcare system, studies have shown that a planned homebirth is as safe as a planned hospital birth for both mothers and babies.  At any birth, whether in a hospital or homebirth setting, it is the standard to have two trained care providers present.

Talk to your midwife about the best option for you.