McMaster University Midwifery

Posting on behalf of What Matters Most? Advancing Patient-Centred Abortion Care in Canada - https://www.reprochoiceslab.org/whatmatters

"The introduction of mifepristone medication abortion to Canada in 2017 dramatically improved access and delivery for abortion services, offering patients wide variation in service choices. Emerging evidence indicates that Canadian abortion providers do not tailor their abortion care to the needs of diverse, underserved populations.

Understanding what matters most to people in Canada when choosing where to access an abortion is vital to ensure that services are designed and delivered in a way that provides equitable access to high-quality, patient-centred care.

First, we will conduct interviews with abortion seekers and health professionals to explore decision-making for access to abortion services. Second, we will develop an online survey (discrete choice experiment) to understand preferences for abortion care among residents of Canada. Our survey results will estimate the relative importance of the different attributes of abortion care and the trade-offs that people are willing to make. Results of this project will facilitate evidence-informed action to rapidly address unmet needs and enhance abortion choice and access in Canada.

Participate in the study!

We are recruiting abortion-seekers and healthcare professionals to participate in a one-time exploratory interview lasting up to 60 minutes.

Participants will be asked to fill out a brief demographic questionnaire, followed by questions about their decision-making surrounding abortion-seeking, including information, options, and support.

If you are interested in participating or have questions, please email [email protected]."

Mark your calendars for the last Wednesday of each month! The MMRC Speaker Series is BACK!

Starting off, the MMRC is welcoming Sahar Khademioore on October 28th to present Weight in Pregnancy and Population Health: Trends in BMI, Gestational Weight Gain, and Their Association with Severe Maternal Morbidity in Ontario

https://mmrc.mcmaster.ca/speaker-series-2026-2027-announced/

We have an amazing lineup and can't wait to see you there!

Apply here! 🔗https://vist.ly/5fzmx

Showcase your work at CAM's upcoming Knovember virtual symposium! 🔗https://vist.ly/5fzmx

Reshape from Canadian Association of Midwives Share your work at CAM's upcoming Knovember virtual symposium! 🔗 Link in our bio

Hot off the presses, congrats to MMRC's Vanessa Hébert, Angela Reitsma, and Liz Darling on their new publication!

Full Article Available here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0266613826002652?via%3Dihub

Description
Among 85,259 eligible individuals, 20.2% of nulliparas and 29.2% of multiparas planned a home birth. Among nulliparous individuals, age ≥ 35 years and lack of health insurance coverage were among the strongest observed characteristics associated with planned home birth, whereas repeat midwifery care was the strongest observed characteristic associated with planned home birth among parous individuals. Gestational diabetes was among the strongest observed characteristics associated with planned hospital birth across parity groups, while prior cesarean birth was also strongly associated among parous individuals. Across parity groups, several categories representing missing or unknown information, including unknown race (reflecting no prenatal genetic screening) and missing or unknown geographic location, language and gestational diabetes data were also strongly associated with planned home birth. The largest PAFs were observed for repeat midwifery care (parous: 27.7%) and unknown race/ no prenatal genetic screening (nulliparous: 13.8%; parous: 13.9%).

Conclusion
Planned home birth versus planned hospital birth was associated with distinct socio-demographic and clinical characteristics, as well as context-specific missing-data categories. These descriptive findings can inform future research.

Pregnant Volunteers Teaching Session - Midwifery Students Sept 24h 2026

We are looking for a few pregnant volunteers with due dates in SEPT/OCT/NOV/DEC to help teach midwifery students. The session is designed to help midwifery students to learn how to assess your growing baby. They will measure, feel your tummy and listen to the baby's heart beat.

LOCATION: McMaster Children's Hospital

DATE & TIME: The session is on Sept 24th.
Appointment times are: 0830-0930, 0930-1030; 1030-1130; 1130-1230

Parking vouchers and snacks will be provided

Register here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=B2M3RCm0rUKMJSjNSW9Hcq7xop3s1IBIr0IY8yoIs5pUNFVVNEZNS0NHQTVKTlVHNDRJNTFXSFFYRy4u&route=shorturl

New Article Alert!!

From Dr. Jen Goldberg, "Interrogating the Effects of Technologies of Pregnancy Surveillance on Q***r, Trans and Nonbinary Midwifery Service-Users"

Q***r, transgender and nonbinary (QTNB) people access midwifery services, yet little is known about their experiences of midwifery care. Our qualitative study used critical narrative inquiry to examine how QTNB midwifery service-users in Ontario, Canada, experience cisheteronormativity in healthcare. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 14 participants, our analysis examines the effects of biomedicalisation on QTNB people who navigate these systems. Our findings show that QTNB people access and participate in technologies of pregnancy surveillance, which deploy information-seeking practices that collect information about the genetic makeup of the baby, conception and paternity. These ‘lines of inquiry’ present in mundane but insidious ways, embedded within cisheteronormative assumptions about paternity and conception. Stemming from broader biomedical discourse that views s*x and gender as one and the same, genetically determined and binary, the discursive effects of lines of inquiry render invisible QTNB identities, family building processes and kinship structures. We explore this tension, showing how lines of inquiry have unequal effects of surveillance across q***r family building, kinship and identity, and how QTNB resist dominant discourse around s*x, gender and s*xuality. Findings can be used by perinatal health professionals to better care for QTNB perinatal service-users as they navigate technologies of surveillance during pregnancy.

Read the whole article here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-9566.70253

Calling for midwife volunteers!

The Canadian Association of Midwives (CAM) in collaboration with the Somaliland Midwifery, Nursing
Association (SLNMA), the Somalia Midwives Association (SOMA) and Puntland Association of Midwives
(PAM) wishes to recruit three (3) Canadian midwife volunteers to support the development of an in-service
training package as a part of the Somali Midwives for Improving Lives and Enhancing SRH (SMILES) project.

Full PDF here:https://canadianmidwives.org/sites/canadianmidwives.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/SMILES_VolunteerMandate_In-service-training_VF-1.pdf

Sharing from The Confident Midwives https://www.theconfidentmidwife.ca/:
Today, we honour Ann Malott as she retires from McMaster University’s Midwifery Education Program after decades of dedication to midwifery education, leadership, and scholarship.
Throughout her career, Ann has helped shape generations of midwives, contributing not only as an educator and mentor, but also as a champion for advancing the profession through research, innovation, and leadership development. Her scholarly work has explored models of maternity care, the role of midwives in health systems, and the growth of the profession both in Canada and internationally.
At McMaster, Ann has been part of building a program and a culture that has influenced midwifery education across the country. Colleagues and students alike know her for her wisdom, generosity, thoughtful guidance, and unwavering commitment to high-quality, evidence-informed care.
Ann’s impact extends far beyond the classroom. It lives on in the many midwives she taught, mentored, and inspired—and in the countless families who have benefited from their care.
From all of us at The Confident Midwife, thank you, Ann, for your extraordinary contributions to our profession. Your legacy will continue to shape midwifery for years to come.
💜 Wishing you joy, fulfillment, and new adventures in this next chapter.

Reshared • Today, we honour Ann Malott as she retires from McMaster University’s Midwifery Education Program after decades of dedication to midwifery education, leadership, and scholarship. 
Throughout her career, Ann has helped shape generations of midwives, contributing not only as an educator and mentor, but also as a champion for advancing the profession through research, innovation, and leadership development. Her scholarly work has explored models of maternity care, the role of midwives in health systems, and the growth of the profession both in Canada and internationally. 
At McMaster, Ann has been part of building a program and a culture that has influenced midwifery education across the country. Colleagues and students alike know her for her wisdom, generosity, thoughtful guidance, and unwavering commitment to high-quality, evidence-informed care. 
Ann’s impact extends far beyond the classroom. It lives on in the many midwives she taught, mentored, and inspired—and in the countless families who have benefited from their care.
From all of us at The Confident Midwife, thank you, Ann, for your extraordinary contributions to our profession. Your legacy will continue to shape midwifery for years to come.
💜 Wishing you joy, fulfillment, and new adventures in this next chapter.