It’s Your Choice

Birthplace is a profoundly important aspect of  the childbirth experience. As our client, you can choose to give birth at home, the Toronto Birth Centre (TBC) or St. Michael’s Hospital (SMH). 

The decision of where to give birth comes naturally to some and can be quite complex for others; our prenatal classes are a wonderful place to thoroughly explore your birth options and receive evidence-based information. 

At Riverdale Community Midwives, because your home and our hospital are geographically close, you can be “undecided” about your place of birth until you are in active labour. At your 36 week clinic appointment, you will receive your Blue Birth Bag and a copy of your Antenatal Records: we recommend that you carry these records with you at all times, bringing them to each prenatal visit to keep them up to date.

When labour begins, your midwife comes to your home and assesses you; if you are in good active labour, and depending on how you feel in the moment, you may choose to proceed with home birth, or move to either the birth centre or the hospital. This approach works well for a lot of people as your midwife comes fully prepared for any scenario.

Movie Night

Learning with your head, listening to your heart

Good decisions take time: we recommend approaching your pregnancy like a journey of discovery. To help on that journey, we invite you to explore the below videos. If you have additional questions, your midwife and prenatal class teacher are happy to answer.