What to Expect From a Midwife

Ontario’s midwives are skilled, educated, and expected to provide safe and ethical care. 

The College of Midwives of Ontario regulates midwifery in the public interest.

Ontario midwives are primary care providers who care for their clients in pregnancy, labour, and six to eight weeks postpartum, including providing newborn care. 

Midwives provide care in a variety of settings including homes, clinics, hospitals, and birth centres. Midwives can work independently, in groups, and as part of interprofessional teams. All midwives are responsible for following the same professional standards of practice. 

Midwifery care is provided free of charge to Ontario residents.

Ontario midwives will:

• Be registered with the College of Midwives of Ontario, and show evidence of it on request.
• Inform clients about their choices, including choice of birthplace, and respect their decisions about care.
• Answer a client’s questions, and listen to their concerns.
• Ensure clients receive all tests, examinations, check-ups, and referrals they require and accept. 
• Prescribe and administer drugs and substances to treat conditions related to their client’s pregnancy, labour, and the postpartum period, as well as for newborns. 
• A midwife will consult with other health care providers if necessary.

If you have any questions about your midwife or midwifery practice, please contact us by phone 416.640.2252 or by email practiceadvice@cmo.on.ca.

If you need to report a concern or make a complaint, our professional conduct staff will be able to help. Learn more about the complaints process on our website, and contact the Professional Conduct department by email at conduct@cmo.on.ca, or by telephone at 416.640.2252.

What to Expect from the College

We recognize that midwifery clients choose midwives as their care providers for a reason – they value midwifery care, and we value it too. 

Our primary obligation is to ensure that midwives in Ontario are qualified, skilled, and competent to practise so all Ontarians can be confident in the care they receive from registered midwives. 

We’re here for clients if they have a question or concern about their care.

The College of Midwives of Ontario is mandated to regulate midwifery in the public interest. We regulate individual midwives in Ontario by:

• Registering midwives, so every midwife entering practice has the required education and experience.
• Establishing standards of practice and holding all midwives accountable for providing safe, competent, and ethical care. 
• Requiring midwives to maintain an active practice and continuous professional development. 
• Investigating and responding to concerns or complaints about the care provided by midwives. 
• Implementing an equity framework to ensure that the diversity of midwifery clients and midwives are all equitably served by the College.

Only midwives registered with the College of Midwives of Ontario and Indigenous midwives are authorized to provide midwifery care in Ontario. Individuals who are neither registered with the College nor Indigenous midwives are prohibited from using the title of midwife or from representing themselves as qualified to practise midwifery in Ontario. 

The College maintains a midwife directory which provides information to the public on the practice and conduct of registered midwives in Ontario. Members of the public are able to verify the registration of midwives and search by midwifery practices on the College’s Midwife Directory.