We’d like to take this opportunity to communicate with you about plans we have made to continue to provide safe care during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Your health and our health are the top priority at this time. The midwives will follow all employee health guidelines regarding self-isolation if they are at risk of COVID-19 or screen positive. This may mean that your visit or birth will be attended by a different midwife.

If you develop symptoms of COVID-19 such as fever, cough, and shortness of breath, please visit https://www.ontario.ca/page/2019-novel-coronavirus to see if you qualify for testing. Do not attend your clinic appointment but call ahead and we will discuss what to do next.

Regarding clinic visits:
We ask you to please not attend clinic if you have a fever or are otherwise sick. Please call the office and we will be happy to reschedule you.

Your midwife may chose to space out clinic visits to limit exposure while maintaining safe and evidence based care. This may mean doing some visits over the phone.

Our clinic space:

We will continue to wipe off surfaces in the clinic room in between clients, and, as always, wash our hands or use hand sanitizer in between clients. We ask that you also use hand sanitizer when you arrive for your appointment.

Please do not come early for your Midwifery appointment as we would like to reduce the amount of time you spend in our waiting room. There is a special space designated for midwifery clients to wait in our shared office space. If you aren’t sure where it is please ask our admin.

Home Births:

We will continue to offer choice of birthplace. Home birth can be a great way to keep mothers and babies out of the hospital, however, we need to be certain that every person requesting a home birth is a good candidate for home birth (ie. low risk of complications). If any household members are sick or have screened positive for COVID-19, midwives will not be able to attend you at home and will request that the birth occurs in the hospital where there is a supply of masks and gowns.

Continuing Updates:

There are changes happening every day as the pandemic is evolving. We are hopeful that the measures taken by the Canadian government to reduce travel, close schools, and cancel large events will slow the spread of COVID-19 and allow the healthcare system to properly care for those who need it. We will do our best to keep you up-to-date as time goes on.

We know it can be stressful to deal with situations like this, especially while you are pregnant or have a new baby at home. Our hope is that you remain healthy and calm in the weeks ahead.

Summary of things that you can do at this time:

• Practice social distancing – avoid crowded places and unnecessary travel.
• Wash your hands, try not to touch your face, and reconsider hugging and handshaking
• Avoid contact with sick people and stay home when you are sick. Cough or sneeze into your shoulder or arm.
• If possible, come on your own to your clinic appointments to avoid extra people in our waiting room.
• On arrival to our clinic, clean your hands with hand sanitizer.

Sincerely,
The Orillia Midwives