Forum Discussion #2: Universal Maternal Health Care 1. Universal Maternal Health Care Despite Canada having publicly funded universal health care, for many expecting Canadian mothers the full benefits of Canada’s maternal health care system are not within reach. This inaccessibility is often due to cultural, socioeconomic, and geographic barriers that hold many expecting mothers back from receiving the maternal care they need to ensure a healthy pregnancy for both mom and baby (Grand-Guillaume-Perrenoud et al., 2021). Due to these barriers, when compared to women in socially advantageous situations, those who experience social disadvantage have worse perinatal outcomes (Grand-Guillaume-Perrenoud et al., 2021). How can the most healthy pregnancies and access to services be ensured? A) Ensuring Healthy Pregnancies To ensure the most healthy pregnancies possible, it is critical that women are better educated with regard to reproductive health and that maternity leave is extended. Better educating young women about pregnancy is crucial since the more women know about reproduction and the signs of pregnancy, the earlier they can identify their pregnancy. Recognizing pregnancies early is imperative because to ensure a healthy baby, expecting mothers must make lifestyle changes such as taking prenatal vitamins and avoiding substance use. Implementing these changes right away is essential since “if you drink at any time during pregnancy, you place your baby at risk of fetal alcohol syndrome” (Mayo Clinic, 2018). Another way to ensure the most healthy pregnancies possible is by extending paid maternity leave. Currently, in Canada, standard parental benefits allow for 12 months of leave (Government of Canada, 2022). Though 12 months is longer than many other countries, it is not enough. As explained in Educating Exceptional Children, from “birth to the age of 3, the brain develops rapidly” and “during this period, the basic ‘self’ emerges through a dynamic relationship with caregivers and the environment” (Kirk et al., 2015). Understandably, most mothers choose to use the majority of their maternity leave during the first year of this critical window so that they can care for and bond with their babies. This leaves expecting moms with little to no choice but to work throughout most (or all) of their pregnancy. Having no choice but to work throughout pregnancy is not ideal for ensuring the most healthy pregnancies possible because the stress that often coincides with work is not healthy for mom or baby (March of Dimes, 2022). In sum, women must receive greater reproductive health education, and maternity leave must be increased, in order to ensure the healthiest pregnancies possible. B) Ensuring Access to Services Some strategies Canada needs to employ to ensure access to prenatal health care services for all pregnant mothers and families of young infants are by making child care more accessible and aiding in transportation barriers. Ensuring access to appointments such as ultrasounds is necessary to properly assess for any indications of exceptionalities within the developing baby and by doing these assessments as early as possible promotes “optimal development for the child” (Kirk et al., 2015). Child care is a major barrier that women, specifically low-income women, face when seeking prenatal care (Heamen et al., 2015). Making child care more accessible by lowering costs or removing costs altogether in Canada as well as having free care available within the doctor's offices themselves would allow more pregnant women with young kids to receive prenatal care. Another major barrier is transportation (Heamen et al., 2015). Some ways we can overcome this are by offering free transportation to expecting mothers as well as mothers with young children, increasing the number of care facilities in low-income areas and making home visits more affordable. In sum, to help ensure access to services for all pregnant mothers and families of young infants, Canada should make child care more accessible and relieve transportation barriers by offering free transportation, increasing the number of facilities, and offering home visits. References Government of Canada. (2022, August 31). EI Maternity and Parental Benefits. Canada.ca. Retrieved September 30, 2022, from https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-maternity-parental.html. Grand-Guillaume-Perrenoud, J. A., Origlia, P., & Cignacco, E. (2021, December 21). Barriers and facilitators of maternal healthcare utilisation in the perinatal period among women with social disadvantage: A theory-guided systematic review. Midwifery. Retrieved September 29, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0266613821003120 Heaman, M., Sword, W., Elliott, L., Moffatt, M., Helewa, M., Morris, H., Gregory, P., Tjaden, L., & Cook, C. (2015, January 16). Barriers and facilitators related to use of prenatal care by inner-city women: Perceptions of health care providers BMC pregnancy and childbirth. Retrieved September 30, 2022, from https://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12884-015-0 431-5. Kirk, S., Gallagher, J., Coleman, M. R. (2015). Educating Exceptional Children (14th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. March of Dimes. (n.d.). Stress and pregnancy. Retrieved September 30, 2022, from https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/stress-and-pregnancy.aspx#:~:text= During%20pregnancy%2C%20stress%20can%20increase,increased%20risk%20 for%20health%20problems. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2018, January 10). Fetal alcohol syndrome. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved September 30, 2022, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/fetal-alcohol-syndrome/symptom s-causes/syc-20352901.
