Most mothers-to-be are flown to the nearest regional hospital, whether it is Yellowknife, Churchill or Winnipeg. Far from family and friends, this can be a frightening time for an expectant mother.

The territorial government, though, is working on a solution to this problem.

A Health and Social Services-commissioned report, compiled by the southern-based firm Med-Emerg, encourages alternative birthing practices for low-risk mothers.

"More midwives should be hired in Health Centres in order to permit the delivery of babies in their own communities."

Rankin Inlet midwife Gisela Becker said the midwifery program is very popular in that community.

"In 1995-96 about 40 percent of the prenatal population gave birth in Rankin Inlet," said Becker.

Midwives in Rankin Inlet provide pre-natal care from the first visit to six weeks after delivery.

Mothers concerned about received the highest quality of care have no need for worry if they choose to use a midwife.

The midwives working in Rankin Inlet have at least four or five years of schooling and are also nurses. They have the ability to recognize potential problems and consult with doctors over those concerns.

If necessary, the mother-to-be consults with both the midwife and the doctor to rule out problems.

There are also a number of traditional midwives working in the Northwest Territories who received their training from hands-on experience. They are not regulated by the territorial government, as nurse-midwives are.

Becker said she thinks a midwifery program is an excellent option for people in small communities, who travel to larger centres to give birth.

The Med-Emerg report agrees. "With the increasing demand for more birthing services in the communities, there is a need to provide a full range of midwifery service to clients," it says.

The report also outlines the need to develop practice guidelines, education requirements, referral practices and caseload guidelines.

"I think it's a good thing to consider," said Becker. She said the continuity of care throughout pregnancy and after is an important aspect of a mother-caregiver relationship.

However, Becker also said that midwifery must be proven safe to expectant mothers in the North. "In Montreal or Ottawa, you have a hospital 10 minutes away. In the North, you have to be medevaced," she said.

She also said she feels the pilot program started in Rankin Inlet in 1993 has done much to prove midwifery is a safe, reliable choice.

The Rankin Inlet pilot program became a full-time program in 1996.