I just found out that I am pregnant. Now what?
Congratulations!
During your pregnancy, you will need regular medical care. One place to start is by calling your family doctor to make an appointment. If you do not have a family doctor, you can self-refer to a midwifery clinic or attend a walk-in clinic for your first prenatal care visit.
What is prenatal care?
Prenatal care is medical care provided during pregnancy. Options for prenatal care providers can vary depending on where you live, but in Kingston, Ontario you can receive prenatal care from a family doctor, a registered midwife, or an obstetrician. Let’s talk more about these options.
Family Doctor
Family doctors are equipped to provide prenatal care for low-risk pregnancies. Most family doctors provide prenatal care from conception to 24 weeks of pregnancy. At 24 weeks, medical care is transferred to an obstetrician (OB). There are, however, some family doctors who have additional training and can provide care through your whole pregnancy, labour, birth, and postpartum. Family doctors are only able to care for low-risk, uncomplicated pregnancy. In the case that a pregnancy becomes high-risk, care would be transferred to an OB.
Registered Midwife
Midwives provide medical care from the beginning of pregnancy to when your baby is 6-weeks old. Like family doctors, they care for moms with low-risk pregnancies. Usually, care is provided by a small team of midwives, allowing moms to get to know their midwives well. In addition to continuity of care, midwives also can support births in settings such as hospitals, birth centres, and homes. At Kingston General Hospital, midwives are the only care providers that can support a mom who wants a water-birth (giving birth while submerged in a bathtub). Midwives are publicly funded, which means there is no cost to the patient; however, they are in high demand. If midwifery care is something you’re interested in pursuing, it’s important to contact the clinic promptly.
Obstetrician
Obstetricians provide medical care for low and high-risk pregnancies. This means they are equipped to handle caring for a normal vaginal delivery and more complicated pregnancies such as a twin pregnancy, placenta previa, gestational diabetes, high-blood pressure, heart-diseases, and more. They are the only prenatal care providers who can do cesarian sections (C/S), among other medical interventions.
Choosing a prenatal care provider is an important decision that is highly individual. Your preferences and health will determine which provider is best for you. Fortunately, family doctors, midwives, and obstetricians in Canada are all well qualified. In Ontario, those with an OHIP card receive care for free.
By: Adriane, RN ~ Prenatal Educator
Local Resources:
- Health Care Connect for those with no family doctor - Health Care Connect - My Home Page - MOHLTC
- Kingston Midwives - Community Midwives of Kingston
- Obstetrical Care in Kingston - Regular Obstetrical Clinic (Armstrong 5) | KHSC Kingston Health Sciences Centre