Feb 16, 2012


Photo: Primary health care provider and registered midwife Amelia Drydyn of Village Midwifery Care is now offering her services to expectant moms in a large catchment area.

Here is some good news for moms-to-be. Amelia Drydyn, a registered midwife with the College of Midwives of Ontario, is now offering her services to expectant moms in a catchment area that includes North and Central Frontenac, Addington Highlands and the Rideau Lakes area.

Amelia recently opened her business, called Village Midwifery Care, along with a colleague Genia Stephen who is also a registered midwife. Amelia is no stranger to the area. She recently made her permanent home at a long-time family cottage near Sharbot Lake and is thrilled to be able to bring her services to clients in the area.

Amelia, who grew up in Toronto and Ottawa, first graduated from the University of Toronto with a science degree in 2001. She then completed a four-year bachelor’s degree program in health science, specializing in Midwifery at Ryerson University in Toronto. She worked at Riverdale Midwives in Toronto while studying at Ryerson and completed her final placement at Seventh Generation Midwives in Toronto, after which time she was hired on as a full time midwife.

With over 100 births under her belt she and her colleague Genia will be providing clinical care to women during their pregnancy, the delivery, and for six weeks following. Their practice specializes in low risk pregnancies and Genia also offers her services as an IBCLC, an internationally certified lactation consultant. Their aims in a nutshell, according to Amelia, are: “To help women have the best birth experience possible. We focus on safety and have all of the necessary equipment and training to make that possible.”

Amelia pointed out the main difference between her services and those offered by other primary health providers like family doctors and obstetricians. Firstly, midwives are the only primary health care providers who can attend a home birth. The other main difference is their philosophy of care.

Amelia said, “While we offer the same tests and clinical care as family doctors and obstetricians, the main differences is that we as midwives offer continuity of care and are on call 24/7 for our clients. One of our primary goals is to form a strong relationship with the client. Our regular scheduled visits are anywhere between a half and one hour so that women are given the time they need to process all of the information and ask any questions that arise. Lastly we use a principle with all of our clients called ‘informed choice’ meaning that every single routine procedure and test is discussed in depth so that our clients can make an informed choice of how they wish to proceed. We discuss all of the options and the client then decides if she would rather deliver at home or in a hospital; the choice is theirs.”

Another service they offer is post-partum home visits. “We will come and check mom and baby in the comfort of their own home after the birth until the mom is comfortably back on her feet.”

Breastfeeding consultation is another area of expertise that their practice offers.

Amelia and Genia are in the process of finding a permanent location for their new clinic. They are also currently conducting home visits in their catchment area (and beyond if needed) and are also offering pre-natal classes that run for six weeks. Amelia is thrilled at being able to offer her services in this community, which she now calls home. She demonstrated her passion for the work she does and ended our interview with these words: “Birth is one of the most important experiences in a woman and her family’s lives and the importance of her receiving thorough and respectful care at that time can have a lasting impact for everyone involved.”

Anyone interested in finding out more about the services offered at Village Midwifery Care can call 613-888-6623, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.villagemidwifery.ca

 

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