Midwifery leaders from across the country were in Saskatoon this week to discuss how to address a shortage of midwives.
Just under four per cent of births in Saskatchewan are done by midwife. In British Columbia 21 per cent of births are done by midwife and 17 per cent in Ontario.
"The midwives in Saskatoon have a waitlist and turn away at least 53 per cent of people who are asking for midwifery care,” Natalie Pambrun, president of the Canadian Midwives Association, told CTV News.
Eileen Mackenzie started working as a midwife in England in the 1950s. When she moved to Canada in the 1970s, she was one of the first midwives in Saskatchewan. She started the Midwives Association of Saskatchewan in 2008.
Giving birth at home is safer than in a hospital as it reduces exposure to disease, she said.
