Midwifery in Canada - Newfoundland & Labrador

Report submitted September 2007

Executive Committee
President: Karene Tweedie
Past President: Kay Matthews
Secretary: Karene Tweedie
Treasurer: Pamela Browne
CAM representative: Kay Matthews
Cosigner: Susan Felsberg
Newsletter Editor: Pearl Herbert
Minute Recorder: Susan Felsberg

Meetings: three times a year (January, March and September) by conference call. The March meeting is the annual general meeting.

Newsletter: four times a year (usually January, March, June, September). This is sent electronically in PDF format. A paper copy is placed in a binder in the reference section of the Memorial University Health Sciences Library.

Web Site is maintained on the university Internet and contains information primarily for students, but is accessed by many others from around the world (according to messages received.)

AMNL Membership is 14. Of these, two members are outside of the province, three are retired, two are casual workers. Of the remaining members, two are employed in St. John’s and five in the north. About half of the members also belong to CAM.

Midwifery
There is no current midwifery legislation. There are no practicing midwives in the community. Midwives employed by the Labrador Grenfell Integrated Health Board have to be registered nurses, and are recognized as registered nurses. The Government of NL is not considering legislation, or progressing from the MIC at this time. Several of those with midwifery qualifications have become ‘burnt out’ with lobbying, and disappointed with “broken promises”. Some were appointed members on the Government’s Midwifery Implementation Committee and spent many hours (some as many as 400 hours) developing the necessary documents needed for midwifery to be regulated. Nothing happened after all this work. Since then midwives have left AMNL as they do not see that midwives will ever be allowed to practice. Several of those with midwifery expertise have left the province, and others have either already or soon will reach retirement age. The Friends of Midwifery NL has lost most of its members as they have become disheartened with their lobbying work having no effect. But the women on the west coast of the Island are becoming mobilized so who knows what may happen. There is a provincial election on October 9.

Activities 2006 to 2007
On November 30, 2006, at the Health Sciences Centre there was a public launching of the AMNL/Friends of Midwifery DVD film Gentle Beginnings: Giving Birth with Midwives in Newfoundland and Labrador“. It was introduced by Karene Tweedie, AMNL, and a panel discussion, ”Keeping the ‘Normal’ in Normal Birth”, was arranged and introduced by Kelly Monaghan, Friends of Midwifery. Approximately 90 people attended.

January 2007 Christine Saulnier, Atlantic Centre of Excellence for Women’s Health wrote to the Members of the House of Assembly regarding midwifery. (She received one acknowledgement.)

April 2007, Karene Tweedie, President, AMNL wrote to the Minister of Health and Community Services reminding him of his promises before he reached this Cabinet position. There was no reply but in response to this letter AMNL members were invited to Confederation Building to a meeting with Reg Coates, Director Legislation and Regulatory Affairs, and Cathie Royle, Provincial Consultant (Prenatal and Early Child Development) Child, Youth and Family Programs, from the Department of Health and Community Services, which took place on September 13. Right from the beginning of the meeting it was clear that there was not going to be a positive decision regarding legislation of midwifery in Newfoundland and Labrador. Reg told us that it wouldn't be difficult to legislate midwifery, but it would not be proclaimed by the Government. There are too few midwives who might be practicing (a figure of 23 had been suggested), and Reg argued that legislation does not translate to an increase in midwives, or an increase in interest. We were also reminded that midwifery legislation in different jurisdictions varies according to the province or territory. The Government of NL does not directly regulate professions (as happened in Alberta.)

Spring 2007 AMNL was represented on the Health Coalition Breastfeeding Initiative Working Group. They submitted their report, Making Breastfeeding a Public Health Priority, to the Minister of Health and Community Services. Funding has now been allocated to support a breastfeeding coordinator position for the province.

Spring 2007, Karene Tweedie was invited to represent midwives on the Provincial Perinatal Committee.

Summer 2007 a scope of practice for midwives (i.e., RNs who have successfully completed a midwifery program from a recognized school/university) as approved by the Labrador Grenfell Integrated Health Board, was written by an AMNL member.