B.C. midwife sees continued demand after easing COVID-19 restrictions

After the COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread economic shutdowns and a slew of public health orders, it seems a baby boom is continuing to strain the already limited midwives in B.C.

Surrey midwife Mojgan Nadafi explains to CityNews her clinic saw a 70 per cent increase over the past two years, and it is not slowing down, as she is fully booked for the next eight months.

She says it has been challenging to be a frontline health care professional throughout the pandemic.

“It’s been very challenging because we have a very close relationship working with our clients through their pregnancy … labour and postpartum for six weeks to eight weeks. So I witness lots of challenges and high levels of stress and anxiety, especially for our clients through these two years,” she said.

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Since soon-to-be parents are nervous about the transmission of COVID-19 in hospitals, Nadafi says many of them have said they are much more comfortable giving birth at home.

“So we accepted that, and we help them to deal [with] that anxiety,” she says, adding aside from guiding through pregnancy, labour and postpartum, midwives have had to educate and counsel patients on vaccine safety.

Amidst all the challenges COVID-19 has put in their way, Nadafi adds many pregnant people continue to contract the virus.

“The last few months, quite a few of my patients were paging or calling us that they’ve been double vaccinated and they call COVID. And they were so scared. And they were symptomatic. They were sick, and then they were scared of what’s going to happen and what they should do regarding their themselves and the baby.”

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Najafi says thankfully none of her clients have died from COVID or had to be hospitalized, and she says she continues to educate on the importance of vaccines to protect them and their babies.

“I believe every single pregnant woman they have to get vaccinated to be safe for themselves and the baby, and the family, and the community.”

While other frontline health care workers got a pandemic bump in pay by the province, midwives did not. Najafi says she hopes the pandemic changes how we treat the profession and take another look at the existing contract, which he says is out of date.

“Midwifery is 24/7 … we stay on call 24/7 for our patients, and we’re always in touch with [patients]. So I think when you are looking at that, we don’t get paid fairly.”