A 2nd companion permitted at births

As of March 14, a second person is once again permitted to be present and accompany a pregnant woman when she gives birth at the Anna Laberge and Suroît hospitals. It was time, affirmed Catherine Huneault, a birth companion in Saint-Constant.

Translation Amanda Bennett

On February 28, the Ministry of Health gave the green light for a second significant other to be chosen to accompany a pregnant woman and their partner at the time of giving birth, during the post-natal period or during an extended hospitalization. The health guidelines only allowed one person to attend a birth.

Catherine Huneault accompanies pregnant women who plan to give birth at Anna-Laberge Hospital and other hospital centres in the region. She was pleased to learn that she could once again be present for deliveries. This restrictive measure didn’t seem relevant in this current context, she thought. The mother became involved in the Déconfinons les Accouchements movement launched in February.

“The government said: we are going to learn to live with this virus, so we’re deconfining. (…) People will go see shows, eat at restaurants, but a woman who gives birth, with their partner, cannot have additional accompaniment,” she lamented prior to the measures being lifted.

Ms. Huneault also remarked that other hospital centres like Sainte-Justine in Montréal changed their guidelines long before the Centre de Santé et de Services Sociaux de la Montérégie-Ouest, which oversees the Châteauguay and Valleyfield hospitals.

Appreciated Support

Several couples make the choice of being accompanied by a doula during their pregnancy, delivery and during the postnatal period. The pandemic complicated work for these companions, especially during births. Their presence has a positive impact on the couple and also for the on-site staff who are overwhelmed, affirmed Ms. Huneault.

Status Quo for Ultrasounds 

While the presence of two companions is now authorized for the delivery, that will not be the case for ultrasounds at the Châteauguay and Valleyfield hospitals for the moment. “The presence of support people during ultrasounds in our two hospitals did indeed need to be limited due to the size of the locations which did not allow for the recommended distancing to ensure the safety of staff, doctors, as well as that of their patients and their baby,” explained Catherine Brousseau, information officer at the CISSSMO.

She adds that the establishments in Châteauguay and Valleyfield are evaluating the possibility of allowing accompaniment “in an environment that is safe for families, as well as staff and doctors.”

The Saint-Constant doula also thinks that the measure needs to change because, among others, pregnant women sometimes have to take in difficult news on their own. “Sadly, there are women who are alone as they face the news that their baby’s heart is no longer beating,” she recounted in a video published as part of the #déconfinonslesaccouchements movement published on social media.