Continuing a Pregnancy

• Provide general healthcare.
• Can provide prenatal care if you have a low-risk pregnancy.
• If you have specific major health conditions or complications during pregnancy, a family doctor may provide prenatal care in consultation with specialists or may refer you to an obstetrician.
• May provide delivery/birth care or have hospital privileges:
• If they provide delivery/birth care, they will only provide it in hospitals.
• If they don’t provide delivery/birth care, they will refer you to a provider who can (like a midwife or an obstetrician) before the end of your pregnancy.
• Can consult with or refer to obstetricians or other specialists, if needed.
• Can provide care after a birth (postpartum or postnatal care).

You can typically contact a family doctor for prenatal care as soon as you know you are pregnant and want prenatal care. You do not need a referral.

• Are specialists in pregnancy care.
• Can provide prenatal care if you have a low-risk pregnancy.
• If you have specific major health conditions or complications during pregnancy, a midwife may provide prenatal care in consultation with specialists or may refer you to an obstetrician.
• Provide delivery/birth care and have hospital privileges.
• Provide delivery/birth care in hospitals, at home, and sometimes in clinics or birth centres, if they are available in your area.
• Can consult with or refer to obstetricians or other specialists if needed.
• Provide care for a few weeks after a birth (postpartum or postnatal care).

You can typically contact a midwife for prenatal care as soon as you know you are pregnant and want prenatal care. You do not need a referral. Midwives may not be available in all areas. More information about midwives in Canada.

• Provide general health care.
• Can provide prenatal care if you have a low-risk pregnancy.
• If you have specific major health conditions or complications during pregnancy, a nurse practitioner may provide prenatal care in consultation with specialists or may refer you to an obstetrician.
• Don’t provide delivery/birth care, and will refer you to a provider who can (like a midwife or an obstetrician) before the end of your pregnancy.
• Can consult with or refer to obstetricians or other specialists, if needed.
• Can provide care after a birth (postpartum or postnatal care).

You can typically contact a nurse practitioner for prenatal care as soon as you know you are pregnant and want prenatal care. You do not need a referral. More information about Nurse Practitioners in Canada.

• Are specialists in pregnancy care.
• Can provide prenatal care if you have a low-risk pregnancy.
• Can provide prenatal care if you have specific major health conditions or complications during pregnancy.
• Can consult with or refer to other specialists, if needed.
• Provide delivery/birth care and have hospital privileges.
• Only provide delivery/birth care in hospitals.
• Can provide care after a birth (postpartum or postnatal care).

You may need a referral from a doctor, nurse practitioner, or midwife to get prenatal care with an obstetrician.

Prenatal care is entirely covered by provincial or territorial health insurance, Non-Insured Health Benefits, and the Interim Federal Health Plan.

If you do not have provincial or territorial health insurance, some private insurance plans cover the costs of medical care during pregnancy. 

Some Community Health Centres and Public Health Units offer prenatal care services to people without provincial or territorial health insurance free of charge. In Ontario, midwifery care is covered for people without provincial or territorial health insurance.

If you do not have provincial or territorial health insurance and you need help finding prenatal care that is covered, call or text our Access Line.

When planning to place a child for adoption directly from birth, the pregnant person can choose to be as involved with the placement selection process as desired. You can work with the regulated agency/individual to review profiles and meet with potential adopters. In most circumstances, counselling services can be arranged to support you with the process. There are no fees for the birth parent who would like to place a child for adoption.

There are mandatory waiting periods after birth before a birth parent can legally consent to an adoption, and consent can be withdrawn within a designated period after the child’s birth, even if the child has already been placed with a family. The length of these periods varies from province to province. 

For general information on adoption, you can visit the Child and Youth Permanency Coalition of Canada website.

If you have more questions or are making a decision about a pregnancy, you can call or text our Access Line to receive pregnancy options counselling. 
 

Just like choosing abortion or parenting, deciding to pursue adoption may be the right choice for some people but not for others. That said, many anti-abortion advocates (individuals, groups, clinics, and pregnancy crisis centers) push adoption as a "favourable” option, or provide misinformation that pressures people to choose adoption or parenting. You can learn more about Crisis Pregnancy Centers here.

Pregnant people have the right to bodily autonomy, and that includes the right to accurate information and support. If you are feeling confused or pressured, you can call or text our Access Line to receive pregnancy options counselling. 

Common questions people may ask themselves when deciding if parenting is right for them include things like:

• How do I feel about becoming a parent now?
• What would change in my life if I became a parent?
• Will my goals for the next 5-10 years change if I become a parent?
• How does my financial situation impact my ability to parent?
• What kinds of access do I have to prenatal care? Or to childcare?
• How would people in my life react if I become a parent?

You may not have solid answers for all of these (or other) questions, but sometimes they can help you get a sense of what you feel prepared for, what you need to work to prepare for, and what’s not an option for you.

When choosing to parent, it can help to start planning ahead for the types of information or supports you’ll need following the birth and into the first few years of parenting. In addition to parenting classes (as discussed below), sometimes it can help to talk with health care providers or financial planners, as well as friends and family who are parents.

If you have more questions or are making a decision about a pregnancy, you can call or text our Access Line to receive pregnancy options counselling. 

Just like choosing abortion or adoption, deciding to parent may be the right choice for some people but not for others. That said, many anti-abortion advocates (individuals, groups, clinics, and pregnancy crisis centers) try to push parenting as a "favourable” option, or provide misinformation that pressures people to choose adoption or parenting. You can learn more about Crisis Pregnancy Centers here.

Pregnant people have the right to bodily autonomy, and that includes the right to accurate information and support. If you are feeling confused or pressured, you can call or text our Access Line to receive pregnancy options counselling. 

If you are planning on continuing a pregnancy you may have questions about how to take care of yourself and your pregnancy. There are a lot of resources available, but it can be hard to sort through what’s credible and supportive for you. Here are some resources that may be useful:

• Pregnancyinfo.ca: Information from the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada on health in pregnancy, including things like folic acid and prenatal vitamins, nutrition, work, exercise, and sex during pregnancy.
• MothertoBaby.org: Information from The Organization of Teratology Information Specialists on the safety of medications, substances, and chemical exposures during pregnancy.

Note: Some of the resources linked above may use gendered language for people who can get pregnant or be pretty directive (tell you what you “should” do)

• Are often offered for free through Public Health Units, local non-profit organizations like community centres, Indigenous Friendship Centres, Community Health Centres, hospitals, clinics, religious organizations, or municipal governments. 
• If you don’t know what organizations in your community offer them, you may be able to ask your prenatal care provider, call the local Public Health Unit, or ask at a local organization like a community centre or library.
• May be offered at a cost by individuals or for-profit organizations.
• May be offered online or in person.
• Can be an opportunity to meet other pregnant people and/or intended parents.
• Have a wide variety of focuses and styles. 
• Have a wide variety of focuses and styles.
  • Some may focus on the physical aspects of pregnancy and birth, mental health during pregnancy, parenting skills, community supports for new parents, etc.
  • Some may be geared to a specific identity like youth or 2SLGBTQIA+ people.
  • Some may allow partners or support people or be exclusively for pregnant people.
  • The values of the organization or person running the class or group might guide how it is run. You can look into the organization or person to see if their values align with yours. (If you are wondering if an organization is pro-choice, check out our resource on Finding Pro-Choice Pregnancy Supports.)
  • You can look into different classes to see which ones might be a good fit for you.
• Consider reaching out to the organizers of a group if you have questions about what will happen in class or questions about the facilitator.

You typically do not need a referral to register with pregnancy and parenting classes or groups.

• A doula is a non-medical support person who offers practical and emotional support.
• Doulas may offer support during pregnancy (prenatal), during labour and birth, after birth (postnatal or postpartum), or during/after abortion, pregnancy loss, or stillbirth. 
• Different doulas will offer different selections of services and styles of working.
• Doulas are not regulated and may have a variety of types of training.
• Doula services are not covered by provincial or territorial health insurance, Non-Insured Health Benefits, or the Interim Federal Health Plan. Most doulas charge their clients directly for their services. Some non-profit organizations offer free or low-cost doula services to their clients and some individual doulas offer low-cost, sliding-scale, or free services in specific circumstances.

You do not need a referral to connect with a doula for support services but you may need to go through non-profit organizations to access free or low-cost doula services.

• Practical supports are parts of the pregnancy process that you may need help without outside of what happens in a health care setting. This may include things like accessing prenatal vitamins, transportation assistance for appointments, housing support, education support, or assistance applying for government programs.
• They may be available through Public Health Units, local non-profit organizations like community centres, Indigenous Friendship Centres, Community Health Centres, hospitals, clinics, schools, religious organizations, or municipal governments. 
• If you don’t know what organizations in your community offer them you may be able to ask your prenatal care provider, call the local Public Health Unit or ask at a local organization like a community centre or library, or if you are in school ask a guidance counsellor or accommodations office.
• The values of the organization might guide how it is run, which can also impact your experience accessing services with them. You can look into the organization to see if their values align with yours before reaching out. (If you are wondering if an organization is pro-choice, check out our resource on Finding Pro-Choice Pregnancy Supports.)