January 12, 2021 Update
Dear Clients,
The Province of Ontario has declared a state of emergency and issued a stay-at-home order in light of rising numbers of Covid-19. Nothing needs to change with your midwifery care as we continue to follow our pandemic protocols. For your own safety and the safety of your family and community, including those who work at THM, please follow the public health guidelines.
Hope in the form of vaccinations is on the horizon. There is a lack of data about the safety of the vaccine in pregnancy and while breast/chest feeding but the general consensus is that pregnant and breast/chest feeding people should be offered the vaccine and each individual should decide for themselves whether the benefits outweigh the risks. Speak to your midwife about this to help you make an informed choice. Currently our only clients who are being offered the vaccine are essential workers at high risk. Hopefully starting this spring or summer, all people in Ontario will have the opportunity to get vaccinated. Even if you have received your vaccination, it is important to follow public health guidelines about physical and social distancing and wearing a mask.
Warmly,
The staff, midwives and students of THM
- STAY HOME unless going out for essentials. Send one household member to gather food, medication and necessary supplies and to put gas in the cars if you can.
- Speak to your employer about working from home if possible.
- Gatherings now limited to 5 people out of doors - stay 2 meters apart. Wear a mask if you cannot physically distance and the meeting is essential.
- Do not gather indoors.
Dear Clients,
The Province of Ontario has declared a state of emergency and issued a stay-at-home order in light of rising numbers of Covid-19. Nothing needs to change with your midwifery care as we continue to follow our pandemic protocols. For your own safety and the safety of your family and community, including those who work at THM, please follow the public health guidelines.
Hope in the form of vaccinations is on the horizon. There is a lack of data about the safety of the vaccine in pregnancy and while breast/chest feeding but the general consensus is that pregnant and breast/chest feeding people should be offered the vaccine and each individual should decide for themselves whether the benefits outweigh the risks. Speak to your midwife about this to help you make an informed choice. Currently our only clients who are being offered the vaccine are essential workers at high risk. Hopefully starting this spring or summer, all people in Ontario will have the opportunity to get vaccinated. Even if you have received your vaccination, it is important to follow public health guidelines about physical and social distancing and wearing a mask.
Warmly,
The staff, midwives and students of THM
December 19, 2020 Update
Dear Clients:
The pandemic has been a time of change for all of us. We have all had to adapt to new realities at home, at work and in our social lives. The Hamilton Midwives activated our pandemic plan on March the 12, 2020 and it has allowed us to continue to provide the high quality care that you expect and deserve, while keeping our clients and our workers as safe as possible. If you have any questions about how The Hamilton Midwives are making things safer for you to receive care, please ask your midwife or Hannah or Amanda, our office staff. We outline the main points for you here.
Here are the steps that we have put in place to keep you safe:
Coming to our clinic:
Please come to your clinic appointments by yourself, wear a mask and clean your hands when you arrive. We have organized appointments to limit the number of people in the office to allow for physical distancing but if you prefer to wait outside the office with a pager, let the receptionist know. Please arrive on time as we need enough time to do your check-up and also to clean the room before the next client. The receptionist or your midwife will ask you about symptoms of Covid-19, recent contacts and your travel history. If you have any symptoms or you are not sure if you should come to the office or be in self-isolation, please page your midwife.
In person assessments are only for the physical exam portion of your care. Please ask all your question during your phone appointment as we are unable to have discussions at your in-person visit. You can also call the office and leave a message to speak to your midwife or page if something urgent arises between appointments.
Please have your phone on when you are expecting a call from your midwife and be in a quiet, private space where you can speak freely about your health. Most midwives will phone from a blocked number so please be sure that your phone allows those to ring through. If you miss your midwife’s call please listen to your voicemail and follow their instructions about what to do next, but generally the midwife will continue to try and reach you during your appointment time. After your appointment time has passed, please call the office to reschedule.
We are unable to accommodate support people in our office. We recognize that your partner/loved ones are on this important journey with you. This is an exciting time for your family and things are more intense because of the pandemic. You can share your visits with your loved one by inviting them to participate in your phone calls (either on speaker with you, or the midwife can conference them in), having them on a video chat from your phone during your exam or recording the baby’s heartbeat during appointments for them to listen to later.
Home visits:
Please have your phone on when you are expecting a call or home visit from your midwife. We will not be able to enter your home until we have spoken to you first. Please wipe down all surfaces and high-touch areas like door knobs before the midwife arrives. Please put on a mask and have family members (other than your baby) not be present in the room will have your visit. If anyone in the household does not pass the screening questions, we are unable to provide care in the home and you will be seen in the clinic or at the hospital.
Home birth:
Please have your support person wipe down the surfaces in your birth room before the midwife arrives as well as the light switches, hand rails, and door knobs in the home.
Support from your loved ones is important for your comfort and wellbeing in labour. We offer home labour and birth care with up to 2 support people who wear a mask, have no symptoms, contact with suspected or confirmed Covid cases, and no travel history. Unfortunately if anyone in the household does not pass the screening questions, we are unable to provide care in the home.
We are unable to catch your baby under water while maintaining our infection control processes. Water for comfort in labour is available but you will be asked to get out of the tub during the pushing phase.
Hospital birth:
The hospital entrances of St Joseph’s Charlton campus where the birthing unit is located are locked from 9pm to 7am except for the ER doors. Our clients in can use the doorbell at the entrance under the elevated walk-way on St Joseph’s Drive to gain access to the birthing unit at night. Your one support person will have to enter via the ER at night if they are not with you when they arrive.
Clients may bring one support person who has no symptoms of Covid-19 and is not in isolation for contact or travel. This person cannot switch out with anyone else before you move up to the postpartum ward but is allowed to come and go.
Clients are encouraged to have early discharge if they feel comfortable doing so. This not only limits your exposure to others in the hospital but frees up beds and resources for those who need them.
If you choose to stay on the mother-baby unit after the birth, you may invite an additional support person but only one visitor can be present at a time. Your 2 support people are fixed and cannot change once they have been in to see you. Here is a link to the hospital’s Covid-19 information for the Women’s and Infants’ program: https://www.stjoes.ca/health-services/women-s-infants-
As always, we recommend:
Useful resources:
Continue to practice social distancing by staying home with the members of your household except to go to work or school, or for essential trips to the grocery store, pharmacy and to visit your midwife. Shop online or do curb-side pickup if you can, and speak to your employer about working from home if possible. To visit with friends and family that don’t live with you, or to check on your neighbours, use social media, video chat, or a phone call. If you need to meet face to face, it should be outside, and keep 2 meters apart. Drop off supplies on the porch if you are shopping for others. Wash your hands, disinfect surfaces and don’t touch your face.
Social distancing and the fear and anxiety triggered by a pandemic can be difficult to manage. So can pandemic fatigue. Please follow us on social media where we will continue to post helpful news and resources. As always, your midwives are here to help you through this. Please call the office for non-urgent questions or issues and use the pager if you have an urgent concern.
Warmly,
The staff, midwives and students of THM
- Follow public health guidelines. As of December 21, Hamilton will be in the grey zone – “lockdown”
- Care is virtual whenever possible.
- Clients must wear a mask when seeing the midwife unless they are in active labour.
- Clients come to in-person appointments by themselves.
- Support people in labour are limited to 1 in hospital and 2 for home births. Support people must wear masks when the midwife is present and pass the covid-19 screening questions.
Dear Clients:
The pandemic has been a time of change for all of us. We have all had to adapt to new realities at home, at work and in our social lives. The Hamilton Midwives activated our pandemic plan on March the 12, 2020 and it has allowed us to continue to provide the high quality care that you expect and deserve, while keeping our clients and our workers as safe as possible. If you have any questions about how The Hamilton Midwives are making things safer for you to receive care, please ask your midwife or Hannah or Amanda, our office staff. We outline the main points for you here.
Here are the steps that we have put in place to keep you safe:
- Enhanced cleaning of the office and equipment. We use hospital-grade cleaning supplies.
- We offer all pregnancy, postnatal and baby care by phone except for brief in-person assessments for physical exams. Labour and birth care is always in-person.
- Clinic appointments consist of 2 scheduled appointments. A phone call early in the week and a physical exam later in the week.
- Home visits include a phone call first and then a physical exam for you and the baby.
- We have adopted the World Health Organization recommended schedule of prenatal and postnatal visits.
- Unless complications develop or there are additional risk factors, prenatal visits will be at: 8-12 weeks, 20 weeks, 26 weeks, 30 weeks, 34 weeks, 36 weeks, 38 weeks, 40 weeks and 41 weeks. You will be seen more frequently if necessary. All other “visits” will be conducted by phone.
- In-person postnatal visits when all is well with parent and baby will be on: day 1, day 3, day 7-14 and 6 weeks. Midwives will conduct other “visits” by phone and extra in-person visits will be done if needed.
- Limiting the number of people in the office at any given time.
- Strict infection control practices while in your home.
Coming to our clinic:
Please come to your clinic appointments by yourself, wear a mask and clean your hands when you arrive. We have organized appointments to limit the number of people in the office to allow for physical distancing but if you prefer to wait outside the office with a pager, let the receptionist know. Please arrive on time as we need enough time to do your check-up and also to clean the room before the next client. The receptionist or your midwife will ask you about symptoms of Covid-19, recent contacts and your travel history. If you have any symptoms or you are not sure if you should come to the office or be in self-isolation, please page your midwife.
In person assessments are only for the physical exam portion of your care. Please ask all your question during your phone appointment as we are unable to have discussions at your in-person visit. You can also call the office and leave a message to speak to your midwife or page if something urgent arises between appointments.
Please have your phone on when you are expecting a call from your midwife and be in a quiet, private space where you can speak freely about your health. Most midwives will phone from a blocked number so please be sure that your phone allows those to ring through. If you miss your midwife’s call please listen to your voicemail and follow their instructions about what to do next, but generally the midwife will continue to try and reach you during your appointment time. After your appointment time has passed, please call the office to reschedule.
We are unable to accommodate support people in our office. We recognize that your partner/loved ones are on this important journey with you. This is an exciting time for your family and things are more intense because of the pandemic. You can share your visits with your loved one by inviting them to participate in your phone calls (either on speaker with you, or the midwife can conference them in), having them on a video chat from your phone during your exam or recording the baby’s heartbeat during appointments for them to listen to later.
Home visits:
Please have your phone on when you are expecting a call or home visit from your midwife. We will not be able to enter your home until we have spoken to you first. Please wipe down all surfaces and high-touch areas like door knobs before the midwife arrives. Please put on a mask and have family members (other than your baby) not be present in the room will have your visit. If anyone in the household does not pass the screening questions, we are unable to provide care in the home and you will be seen in the clinic or at the hospital.
Home birth:
Please have your support person wipe down the surfaces in your birth room before the midwife arrives as well as the light switches, hand rails, and door knobs in the home.
Support from your loved ones is important for your comfort and wellbeing in labour. We offer home labour and birth care with up to 2 support people who wear a mask, have no symptoms, contact with suspected or confirmed Covid cases, and no travel history. Unfortunately if anyone in the household does not pass the screening questions, we are unable to provide care in the home.
We are unable to catch your baby under water while maintaining our infection control processes. Water for comfort in labour is available but you will be asked to get out of the tub during the pushing phase.
Hospital birth:
The hospital entrances of St Joseph’s Charlton campus where the birthing unit is located are locked from 9pm to 7am except for the ER doors. Our clients in can use the doorbell at the entrance under the elevated walk-way on St Joseph’s Drive to gain access to the birthing unit at night. Your one support person will have to enter via the ER at night if they are not with you when they arrive.
Clients may bring one support person who has no symptoms of Covid-19 and is not in isolation for contact or travel. This person cannot switch out with anyone else before you move up to the postpartum ward but is allowed to come and go.
Clients are encouraged to have early discharge if they feel comfortable doing so. This not only limits your exposure to others in the hospital but frees up beds and resources for those who need them.
If you choose to stay on the mother-baby unit after the birth, you may invite an additional support person but only one visitor can be present at a time. Your 2 support people are fixed and cannot change once they have been in to see you. Here is a link to the hospital’s Covid-19 information for the Women’s and Infants’ program: https://www.stjoes.ca/health-services/women-s-infants-
As always, we recommend:
- Frequent handwashing – minimum 20 second handwash with soap and water or a 20 second handrub with 70% alcohol hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your face.
- Frequent disinfection of surfaces at home and at work.
- Stay home if ill. This includes not coming to our clinic if you are ill.
- Page your midwife for urgent concerns, otherwise phone the office.
- If you are in self-isolation and you feel that you or your fetus or baby is unwell, page the midwife. Call 911 if you or your baby have difficulty breathing.
- Following the public health guidelines for Hamilton and the community where you live.
Useful resources:
- Government of Ontario Covid-19: https://covid-19.ontario.ca/
- Hamilton Public Health: https://www.hamilton.ca/coronavirus
- St Joe’s birthing unit Covid updates: https://www.stjoes.ca/health-services/women-s-infants-
- The Association of Ontario Midwives – Covid-19 information: https://www.ontariomidwives.ca/covid-19
- The Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada, Covid-19 Resources: https://sogc.org/en/-COVID-19/en/content/COVID-19/COVID-19.aspx
Continue to practice social distancing by staying home with the members of your household except to go to work or school, or for essential trips to the grocery store, pharmacy and to visit your midwife. Shop online or do curb-side pickup if you can, and speak to your employer about working from home if possible. To visit with friends and family that don’t live with you, or to check on your neighbours, use social media, video chat, or a phone call. If you need to meet face to face, it should be outside, and keep 2 meters apart. Drop off supplies on the porch if you are shopping for others. Wash your hands, disinfect surfaces and don’t touch your face.
Social distancing and the fear and anxiety triggered by a pandemic can be difficult to manage. So can pandemic fatigue. Please follow us on social media where we will continue to post helpful news and resources. As always, your midwives are here to help you through this. Please call the office for non-urgent questions or issues and use the pager if you have an urgent concern.
Warmly,
The staff, midwives and students of THM
This page was last updated on January 12, 2021
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Notice to clients: As of May 1st, 2020, we have moved to a new office location at 25 Charlton Avenue East, Unit 600 
The Hamilton Midwives
25 Charlton Avenue East, Unit 600 Phone: (905) 527-8919 Serving clients in Hamilton, Ancaster, Dundas, Stoney Creek, Waterdown, East Hamilton, Hamilton Mountain, Winona, Flamborough, Caledonia, Mount Hope, Binbrook, Brantford, Burlington, and surrounding areas in southern Ontario.
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