New Study on Mother & Child Health in Manitoba

The U of M has just released the results of a study, Perinatal Services and Outcomes in Manitoba. The study found that our province is generally on par with the rest of the country but could use improvement in certain areas. Some interesting findings from the news release:

  • Compared to the Canadian rate of about 28 per cent, Manitoba had a much lower rate of cesarean birth at approximately 20 per cent in 2008/09.
  • The number of births by a midwife grew throughout the study period from 2.5 per cent in 2001 to 4.7 per cent in 2009 when the number of registered midwives in Manitoba peaked at 40.
  • Rates of vaginal births for women in Manitoba who had a previous cesarean birth (known as vaginal birth after cesarean or VBAC) remained relatively high.
  • “One of the most notable messages in this study is that as mothers’ social and economic circumstances declined, the health of newborns declined as well.” – lead researcher Maureen Heaman
  • Manitoba also had a high rate of teenage births – between 2007 and 2009 about nine per cent of children born were to teen mothers. The Canadian average was under five per cent.

The Full Report and Summary are available at from U of M.

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