COVID 19 UPDATES
As we’ve been getting a number of questions related to how the covid-19 pandemic will change
client care, we developed this section to go over some commonly asked questions about covid
policies at our clinic & Victoria hospital. As you can imagine, this information has changed
throughout the course of the pandemic, and we expect it will continue to change in the next couple of months.
We will try our best to keep this section as current as possible, however please
be aware that these policies are not static and very well may change throughout the course of
your pregnancy. We encourage you to discuss any more specific questions you may have with
your midwife team.
At this time, partners are permitted in the clinic for prenatal or postpartum visits. Partners may attend all home visits, both prenatal and postpartum, provided they have no symptoms or potential exposures to Covid-19.
Unfortunately, there are no other people including children permitted in the office at this time.
Please understand that our Covid-19 policies are fluid and will change as the pandemic changes. We will continue to work our hardest to protect our valued clients and midwives.
The available evidence shows that the majority of pregnant individuals infected with Covid-19 will experience mild to moderate illness. Ongoing research has shown that people infected with COVID-19 while pregnant do have an increased risk of some pregnancy-related complications.
New research demonstrates that, while the absolute risk remains low, pregnant women are at increased risk of requiring hospitalization or admission to the ICU should they contract Covid-19 during pregnancy. An increased risk of preterm birth has also been reported.
The best way to avoid contracting Covid-19 continues to be social distancing of at least two meters, frequent hand hygiene and mask wearing.
The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC) and the Association of Ontario Midwives (AOM) are continuously reviewing and updating guidelines and recommendations. Links to the most recent information are found below and updated frequently.
Physical distancing of at least two meters, frequent hand washing and mask wearing remain the most effective methods for reducing the spread of Covid-19. Local guidelines are changing frequently; please review Public Health guidelines for updated information and policies specific to our region.
Our clinic has implemented a number of changes, as recommended by Public Health and the World Health Organization, to decrease the spread of Covid-19 and reduce the likelihood of an outbreak at our clinic. We have increased sanitization and cleaning protocols of all clinic equipment prior to each client encounter. In addition, we have adjusted our visit schedule to include phone visits and virtual visits to reduce the number of clients in our clinic each day.
All clients and support persons are required to wear a mask for clinic appointments.
We ask that our clients please check their emails regularly for correspondence from the midwives regarding any clinical changes.
Laboring women are permitted two support people (midwives do not count as support people) to attend their labour and stay with them on the postpartum unit. Additional visitors are not currently permitted during or after the birth.
Updates to hospital policies can be found here.
YES. Current hospital policies allow two support people in labour at LHSC (often a partner and one additional support person or doula).
Your support person will not be permitted to leave and re-enter the hospital, so it is important to bring everything you’ll need for your postpartum stay when you are admitted.
Partners or support people experiencing symptoms of Covid-19 will not be permitted to enter the hospital.
Current LHSC hospital policy requires both the partner and laboring person to wear masks. Labouring women are not currently required to wear a mask during home births. Your midwife will review these policies with you.
Yes. Our clinic is still offering water birth for clients choosing a home birth. Water birth is not currently recommended for women who are suspected or confirmed to have Covid-19, as there is potential for increased risk of transmission to both the newborn and midwife.
For more information, please see our guidance on waterbirth and hydrotherapy for people with suspected or confirmed Covid-19.
We encourage you to minimize extra support people in labour, and we strongly recommend against having people at your birth that are not members of your immediate household.
If a support person has any symptoms of Covid-19 or potential exposures, we request they not attend your labour. Please discuss these recommendations with your midwife.
Although the pandemic has required us to be flexible. We are now currently offering all prenatal and postpartum visits in-person if clients would prefer. If you would still like to conduct some non-essential visits virtually or by phone, we can certainly accommodate this.
We are following recommendations from the World Health Organization to ensure that thorough maternity care is still provided.
As always, your team of midwives remains available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week so your questions and concerns will always be addressed.