Midwifery Care North Shore - Vera Berard RM

Early pregnancy and after birth postpartum services are Vera Berard RM, Midwifery Care North Shore midwife consultant's current focus. Vera, while retired from birth work continues to value developing partnerships with her clients in care and seeing folk develop confidence in their pregnancy, postpartum and early parenting experiences. Adding a new member into the family, involves more than just pregnancy, parent and infant care. It is an emotional transition for the entire family, in which she is delighted to continue to play a supportive role at the beginning of a pregnancy and after the birth of a baby until 6-8 weeks postpartum. MCNS offers after birth services to pregnant folk, who have doctors providing their prenatal, labor and birth care. Folk can enrol in their pregnancies and arrange a 3rd trimester consultation visit to prepare for their after birth recovery, infant feeding and early parenting by filling out an intake form on MCNS website https://midwiferycare.ca/postpartum-services/ Vera Berard also offers initial and early pregnancy care in the 1st and 2nd trimester to folk, who would like to begin their care with personalized, responsive one-to-one care. Just pregnant people can also fill out an intake form https://midwiferycare.ca/prenatal-services/ When forms are received a response is sent within 2 - 5 business days. Early prenatal clients are transferred to another midwifery, or doctor practice for ongoing later prenatal, labor and birth care, ~ 4 weeks after their last scheduled appointment with Vera. Their records are sent to the ongoing midwife/doctor's office before her clients' first appointment with their ongoing provider. Clients who transfer to a doctor for ongoing care have the option of arranging a 3rd trimester, prenatal consultation visit to prepare for life with their babies, and of being transferred back into Vera's practice after birth on their discharge from hospital. Vera's postpartum services begin in clients homes on the 1st or 2nd day after they have left hosptial and end with a closure visit in MCNS office space in Shipyards Health, 88 Lonsdale Ave, N. Vancouver on a couple of Wednesday afternoons from 2pm - 8pm a month. Vera has more flexibility with remote and home visits and less flexibility with office visits. Office visit are needed, as midwives are paid for a phase of care that includes a number of visits. Vera schedules each client's phase of care in advance and can plan to have in-person visits with more clients per day, in one location than can be provided when individual home visits are scheduled. Early pregnancy clients have 2-3 visits scheduled per trimester at the beginning of their care. There are at least 5-6 scheduled postpartum visits. When midwifery services are completed, clients receive a care summary. MCNS preferred method of contact is email that Vera can respond to email with a tentative scheduled visit that the email recepient can confirm, or with an operational response. Vera's remote office is open 1 - 3 hrs five days a week, except for statutory holidays and occassionly when MCNS closes the remote office for short periods. Vera makes office closures known via email practice memos. Early pregnancy and postpartum clients can arrange for additional unscheduled remote and/or in-person visit, as needed, via Vera's text messaging communication system, which is available to MCNS clients 7 days a week, between 9am-11pm. In the rare event that clients have a time-sensitive concern between 11pm and 9am, clients are instructed to go into LGH ER to address their concern. They can call the provincial 811 nurse line first, if they are uncertain that their issue needs an ER visit. MCNS provides inperson services only to clients that live on the North Shore. Vera's preferred area of practice is within North Vancouver City. When MCNS capacity is full, potential clients are notified. Vera only responds to completed intake forms from folk that reside on the North Shore. When she has capacity, she may consider providing services to a person living in Vancouver or else where, who is relocating to the North Shore during their pregnancy. She also considers making prenatal services available to pregnant folk who are moving outside of BC in their 3rd trimester. Vera's services are covered by MSP for residents that have a BC care card, or are privately paid by those that have no medical insurance. Vera has VCH midwife colleagues that cover her practice when she is away and there are clients in her care, whose babies may decide to be born before Vera's return. Pregnant folk interested in accessing MCNS services are requested to clarify and/or confirm any appointment dates, make their needs known at the beginning and throughout their care. Respect the practice's part-time limitations and tacknowledge receipt of practice communications received. This agreement forms the the foundation of the respectful partnership that Vera strives to establish around each client and the families health care needs.