Midwives are not able to keep up with the demand in Alberta due to the current funding model. President of the Alberta Association of Midwives, Nicole Matheson, says midwifery practices are only able to help about 65 percent of women requesting care.

"We don't have the funding to support all of the midwives who are currently registered and working in Alberta to work to their full capacity. We are only able to take into care about 65 percent of the women who are currently requesting carein Alberta. So, there's still a large demand and need for midwifery care in Alberta."

Matheson says currently there is about 1800 women on a waiting list for midwifery care. She says midwives can not keep up with the current demand, but more women are asking for help from midwives because of the care they receive during pregnancy.

"I think there's a growing awareness about midwifery in Alberta as an excellent choice fro low-risk women. We are on call for them 24/7 during their pregnancy, we are going to be there for their birth. We often are able to spend more time and develop those relationships with our clients and I think that's really important to women."

She says the Alberta Association of Midwives is hoping to work with the provincial government on new funding options.

"We are looking for more funding. And that is to deal with this immediate crisis of women on the waitlist. We are also looking to look at a different funding model for Alberta. We have been funded for seven years now and we have found that the system doesn't work well."

Matheson says the current system doesn't meet the needs of families in Alberta or help midwives build capacity within their work force.

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