Looking for alternative midwives in Ontario!

[midwifem]

Hello fellow midwives, 

I would love to connect with other midwives in Ontario who are interested in supporting each other and who practice in an "alternative" (more holistic less medicalized way) I am finding some hard aspects to practice with a big push for full scope, and would love to connect with others who feel the same way! :)

[starrlamia]

I will be eventually! i still need to get into and through school, going to be applying to birthwise in maine for next fall :D

[midwifem]

Woohoo! :) That's great! Will you come through the Ryerson program to work in Ontario, or the bridging program? (if it's still running) I left Canada to do my schooling as well! :)

[silversparrow]

I will be too! On mat leave from the MEP right now. I will graduate in Spring 2013. I am very into herbal medicine and nutrition, and low intervention birth.

[starrlamia]

I will either be coming back to Ontario or going right to BC, my bf wants to move to Vancouver but I havent decided yet, I may come back to ON just to do the bridging. Where did you go to school?

Silversparrow- thats pretty exciting! congrats on the baby and on graduating soon!!

I havent yet learned much about herbal/homeopathic medicine in pregnancy and birth do you guys have some good resources? I will learn about it at birthingway if i get in, but I need some stuff to read that isnt school related (taking feminism and counselling right now)

[silversparrow]

Try this book. And check out anything by Anne Frye. Also, have you learned about sterile water injections for pain relief?

[midwifem]

Woohoo! 

Starrlamia, I did my training in Texas, and then did the PLEA when it was still running. 

I love the WiseWoman book- it is my fave and totally battered from being used so much! :) Love the recipes for anti-hemorrhage, and after pains. :)

I haven't had good luck with the sterile water inj, but have had amazing results with the TENS unit. :)

[silversparrow]

I have seen sterile water papules do wonders. Once I had a VBAC client, who was induced by breaking waters because she was 40+3 and oligohydramniotic, and she had been stalled at 6 cm for almost 2 hrs and then went to fully and pushing in 30 min, pushed 4 times and, voila baby!

It's great for back labour especially, and is a great thing to try before resorting to epidural. I can be just the thing to get a woman through that part of transition where she thinks she can't do it.

Something I've been wondering about it is, since it's not actually a medication, would there be any legal reason that would prevent a doula (or any birth coach/ partner/ friend) from being allowed to administer them either at home or hospital? I might be attending a friends birth in a non-clinical role, and was wondering if I would be allowed, if say, I got the syringe and water from the pharmacy ahead of time. What do you think?

I haven't seen the TENS used very much, just once and it was to help a client cope on the way to the hospital for an epidural and she was still in early labour (about 1 cm, ctx 5-7 min). For what situations or indications do you suggest it?