Pregnant women in the Southern Alberta foothills now have another option available when choosing how they will deliver their babies.
The first of its kind in southern Alberta, the Low Risk Clinic at the High River Hospital offers an innovative approach to childbirth, where physicians and midwives work together to offer pre-natal care, delivery and post-partum care.
“The clinic provides a complete obstetric experience, from getting pregnant right up to six weeks after birth,” said Dr. Sarah Makhdoom, who helped establish the clinic in 2006.
The continuity of care allows patients to build a relationship with their care provider and become comfortable with their surroundings before they go into labour, Makhdoom added.
Since its inception in 2006, the clinic has become increasingly popular, caring for about 700 babies each year, said co-founder Dr. Gloria Mazloum.
“We have more than doubled the number of deliveries we perform in the past two months,” Mazloum said.
The clinic, which primarily serves High River and surrounding rural communities, is even drawing some women from as far away as Calgary, Mazloum added.
Makhdoom said she believes the Low Risk Clinic’s approach to maternal care helps women to feel “empowered” during birth.
“The staff is very friendly. It’s very personal care that is not rushed, and women like that personal touch,” Makhdoom said. “They have an open dialogue with the physician and the midwife, so nothing is pushed on them. They are a part of all the decision-making.”
Expectant moms can choose from a wide range of maternity and birthing options at the clinic, Makhdoom said.
“They have the option of being mobile during the labour, or they can try alternative positions,” Makhdoom said. “Some of our midwives have also tried water births, immersing in water during labour.”
The addition of midwives to the clinic has helped doctors to think of birthing in a more holistic approach, Makhdoom said.
Midwife Marie Wilkinson, who is also a registered nurse, joined the clinic in 2008. She said she often recommends non-traditional approaches to pain relief, such as water births that encourage muscle relaxation.
First time mother Alisha Bassett from Nanton gave birth to her daughter Drea last October at the Low Risk Clinic. She described her birthing experience as “fantastic.”
Bassett, who said she has never been comfortable with hospitals, initially wanted a midwife to help her with a home water birth. However, when she looked into finding a midwife, she found there was at least a six-month wait.
“Apparently, you have to have a midwife even before you get pregnant in Alberta,” she joked.
At the Low Risk Clinic, Bassett was able to have a water birth and receive help from a midwife.
“The relationship I got to build with Marie was really different from what you get anywhere else. She was a really good friend by the end of my pregnancy,” she continued. “I was also able to do the last part of my labour in water here at the clinic, which is something I probably wouldn’t have been able to do at a Calgary hospital.
“It was a really special opportunity.”
Knowing she was in a hospital where physicians were on-site was also a relief, Bassett said.
The Low Risk Clinic was founded in response to a growing number of family doctors who were giving up their obstetrics privileges, Wilkinson said.
“In the past, family doctors who have obstetrics hospital privileges were the only birthing option available to pregnant women in the High River area,” Wilkinson said. “But there’s not many family doctors around who still do obstetrics.”
Makhdoom explained many doctors don’t want to do obstetrics because it is so time consuming.
“You’re up many times a month,” she explained.
At the Low Risk Clinic, however, there are 12 physicians and two midwives on staff. The physicians rotate through an on-call schedule so they only deliver three days a month, rather than every night, Makhdoom explained.
Patients don’t need a doctor’s referral to visit the Low Risk Clinic, however, the clinic is only available to women who are considered as having low-risk pregnancies, Makhdoom said.
“Many things can go wrong. Labour is unpredictable,” Makhdoom said. “We have a screening criteria where we ask patients a list of questions, and then the doctor decides if they are okay to come in.”
