International Day of the Midwife Spotlight | Michelle Moore-West

In recognition & celebration of International Day of the Midwife on May 5th, we would like to introduce you to Michelle Moore-West.

Michelle is currently in her 9th year of practice as a Registered Midwife at Midwives of Brant (formerly known as Community Midwives of Brantford).

We sat down with Michelle and chatted about what being a midwife means to her.

What aspects of practicing at BCHS are you most proud of?

I am always proud to say I have privileges at BCHS. So many people on this staff work hard to have good inter-professional relationships and to work as one team to ensure our clients receive the best possible care. I am also extremely excited to say that midwives now have epidural privileges at BCHS.

Epidurals have been in our midwifery scope for some time now, so it is exciting to have this added to our practice at BCHS. Maintaining care for pain relief helps us and the hospital focus on patient centered needs and truly helps our clients feel in control of their labour plans.

What does being a midwife mean to you?

To me, being a midwife allows me to follow my passion for maternal and newborn health since midwives are primary health-care professionals who provide care to pregnant people and their newborns through their pregnancy, labour, birth and first six weeks postpartum.

Midwives strongly believe in informed choice, which means that we provide information on the benefits and risks of tests and procedures and support pregnant people with their decisions. One of my favourite aspects of midwifery care is providing continuity of care. Since midwives take a limited number of clients into care, we really have a chance to build a relationship with our clients.

What do you enjoy most about being a midwife?

What I enjoy most about being a midwife is supporting my clients and their families. As my colleague Heather Pittman, RM so eloquently put it: “We have the honour to walk people through the best day of their life and sometimes we have the honour to hold space for them on their worst and there is no other job that can do that”.

What would you like to say to your fellow midwives and staff at BCHS?

I would like to thank all of the midwives that work at BCHS, Midwives of East Erie, Norfolk Roots Midwives, Indigenous Midwives of the Six Nations Birthing Centre, and Midwives of Brant. It is truly an honour to get to work along side all of you.

Thank you to Michelle and all of our midwives for your hard work, dedication, and commitment to the patients and families we serve. We couldn't do what we do without you!