During coronavirus hospital surge, a midwife recommends home birth

Today in The Conversation Canada, Manavi Handa, a Ryerson University professor — and midwife of 20 years — urges healthy pregnant people to plan for home births.

Stepping into a hospital during a pandemic could expose your newborn not just to COVID-19 but also other complications generally not seen in home births, she writes. Her experience during SARS, as well as years of clinical evidence, “demonstrate the safety of home births for healthy people who have a trained midwife.” Handa also talks about additional services midwives could be called upon to perform during the pandemic: “We can stitch and prescribe, like a physician, but also start an IV and take blood, like a nurse. There are many things we can use our skills for beyond birthing.”

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Enjoy and stay safe.

Vinita Srivastava

Director of Journalism Innovation | Senior Editor, Culture + Society

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A woman holds her newborn son right after giving birth; they are still in the birthing pool after labour at home. (Shutterstock)

During coronavirus hospital surge, a midwife recommends home birth

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During a pandemic, a home birth starts looking better every second. Midwives with their specialized skills in low-risk normal birth can be of great service.

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