Ontario Home Birth Safe - Research Presented at Nursing Conference

MONTREAL, Oct. 15 /CNW/ - Katrina Kilroy, RM, President of the Association of Ontario Midwives will be presenting leading research and experience on home birth at the 21st National Conference of the Association of Women's Health, Obstetrics and Neonatal Nurses this weekend.

Contrary to a recent American meta-analysis that found home birth was associated with a higher risk of neonatal death, several large, well-designed Canadian and international studies have found home birth with a midwife in a regulated system to be at least as safe as hospital birth for women with low-risk pregnancies. About 25% of Ontario women in midwifery care currently choose home birth.

Midwives, who are primary care providers, may collaborate with physicians and nurses in hospitals. In instances where home birth clients are transferred to hospital, nurses require up-to-date and accurate information about home birth safety and reasons for patient transfers. Building this knowledge results in better outcomes for mothers and newborns.

"Whenever I give this presentation on home birth and interprofessional collaboration, be it at hospital rounds or at interprofessional conferences, it is always well received. Learning about one another's roles and responsibilities creates better understanding and opens the door to improving the way the health care system responds to the needs of women and newborns," said Kilroy.

More than 300 nurses from across Canada will be attending the conference in Montreal from October 14-16. Katrina Kilroy will be speaking on October 16.

About Midwifery in Ontario
There are more than 500 registered midwives in Ontario, serving communities in 72 clinics across the province. Midwives have privileges at most Ontario hospitals. Since midwifery became a regulated health profession in 1994, more than 100,000 babies have been born under midwifery care, including more than 23,000 births at home.

A midwife is a registered health care professional who provides primary care to women with low-risk pregnancies. Midwives provide care throughout pregnancy, labour and birth and provide care to both mother and baby during the first six weeks following the birth. The Association of Ontario Midwives is the professional organization representing midwives and the profession of midwifery in Ontario.

For further information:

To arrange an interview with Katrina Kilroy or a family that has chosen home birth, contact:

Joanna Zuk
Senior Communications Officer
Association of Ontario Midwives
Tel: [phone] x2261
Cell: 416-704-745
[email protected]