Our Care
You will be cared for and supported by the SCBP team of family doctors, midwives, nurses and doulas. Approximately six weeks after your baby is born, you will be discharged back to your family physician. If you do not have a family physician, we will help you find one to care for you and your baby after you leave SCBP.
The family doctors and midwives at the SCBP all share the same philosophy of care and strive to keep birth normal. We work hard to provide you with a seamless transition from one on-call care provider to the next. The SCBP is the first program in Canada in which midwives and family doctors work collaboratively and fully share the care of women and their families.
You will receive your care from both doctors and midwives throughout your pregnancy, during your labour and birth, and after your baby arrives. When you go into labour, either a doctor or midwife will be on-call and will be present throughout your labour and when your baby is born. We rotate our call and one of us is available to address any concerns you might have during pregnancy as well as attend you in labour and when you give birth. We are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days of the year.
Connecting pregnancy group care
Your first few appointments are one-on-one visits with a doctor or midwife, where all testing and physical exams are completed. Around 18 to 20 weeks of pregnancy, you will be invited to join a Connecting Pregnancy (CP) group with approximately ten other women and their partners, who are all due to have their baby the same month as you. The connecting pregnancy group care incorporates prenatal education, inclusive of guest speakers, with your maternity care. We ask that clients pay $300 to cover the costs of this group program. For families unable to pay the fee, please speak with one of us at your one-on-one visit so that we can arrange a payment plan or funding for your care. If you chose not to join a CP group, you will continue to receive your care one-on-one in the clinic with a doctor and/or midwife.
Meet the team night
At SCBP you will get to know your clinic and/or CP leaders very well as the majority of your prenatal care will be done by the doctor or midwife that leads your care or group. This continuity with one or two providers ensures that your care is comprehensive and that your individual needs are met. Your history and plans for birth are communicated to all of the doctors and midwives who may be on-call to attend you in labour. We all share the same philosophy of care and discuss our client care on a daily basis. In order to make you more comfortable with our entire team, we hold "Meet the Team" events every month.
For example, if your due date is in March, you are invited to attend this event in January or February. All of the SCBP available team members attend, including our nurse/lactation consultant, the doula coordinator and a few of our 30+ doulas. You join a small group and we "speed date" around the room. A doctor and a midwife will sit with your group and when the bell rings, we move to the next group. The next "date" to join you may be our nurse or a few of our doulas. You can ask us any questions you want as we pass by.
It is a fun event held every month in the CP room from 5:30pm to 7:00pm (virtual during COVID-19). You will receive an invitation to attend when your due date is approaching.
Doula Care
A doula provides you with continuous one-on-one physical and emotional support during labour and birth. The doula does not provide clinical care nor does she take the place of your partner during the labour. She works with your partner and family members during the birth to ensure that your physical and emotional needs are met. All of our doulas have a "bag of tricks" that may include massage oil and massage tools, and a TENS (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation) machine to help you during your labour.
Every effort is made to match you with a doula who speaks your first language. Currently we have 26 doulas. In addition to English, our doulas currently speak Arabic, Spanish, Czech, French, Mandarin, Portuguese, Tamil, Telugu, Japanese. They are all proud to be a part of this unique program and we are lucky to have them! We firmly believe in providing all women with doula support. In order to support & expand our doula program, we ask families to donate between $350-$700 to the South Foundation in their doula's name. Payment plans are available, and a receipt for the donation will be provided for tax purposes. If you are unable to make this donation, please speak with the admin team, or your care provider. SCBP will ensure that you receive doula support regardless of ability to donate.