ABOUT US
Uxbridge Community Midwives brought Midwifery Services to the under-serviced region of Uxbridge in 2008. We offer services to families living in the Durham, York and South Brock Regions: inclusive of Uxbridge and surrounding communities both inside and outside of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA): from Markham, Stouffville and Mount Albert, to the South Shores of Lake Simcoe and over to Port Perry.
WHO WE ARE & HOW WE WORK
At Uxbridge Midwives- you will be assigned to a team consisting of two midwives. Both midwives will look after you and your baby from the time you enter care through to six weeks postpartum. By working in a small team, we hope to develop a relationship of trust with you during pregnancy in order to be able to provide safe, individualized care, fully support you during labour and birth and to provide comprehensive care to both you and your newborn throughout the postpartum period.
Only one of your two primary midwives will be at the birth. The team midwives rotate their call schedules every week. When one midwife from your team is on-call attending births and postpartum home visits, the other midwife is off-call and seeing clients in clinic. Generally, the midwives will switch on Friday mornings. Ongoing client review by the team midwives will assure the provision of seamless care.
In addition to one of your primary midwives, the Hospitalist from the Alongside Midwifery Unit will attend your birth in the role of second midwife. For home births, the on-call midwife from the other team will attend as the second midwife. If we have a senior student at the practice, they will meet the role of either primary or second midwife.
BIRTH OPTIONS
Clients have the option of a home or hospital birth. For those who choose a hospital birth, will plan to deliver at Markham Stouffville Hospital at The Alongside Midwifery Unit. The AMU officially opened its doors on July 9th, 2018, and is staffed by hospitalist midwives on the unit 24/7. They will facilitate and organize consultations and work as the liaison with obstetricians and community midwives. 23 midwives have privileges to deliver on the AMU, seven of whom are hospitalist midwives. The AMU has six specially equipped birthing rooms outfitted with upright birthing stools, and hanging slings allowing clients to adopt upright positions.
The rooms also have tubs suitable for water births and have double-sized Murphy beds for rest after giving birth. 80 per cent of clients will go home within six hours after giving birth and are visited at home by a midwife within 24 to 28 hours. Midwives provide complete care from early pregnancy to six weeks after labour for mother and baby.
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Meet The Team
Tiffany Haidon, RM
Tiffany Haidon is the sole proprietor of Uxbridge Community Midwives. After moving to the Uxbridge area in 2006, she recognized the need for accessible midwifery services in the community. She submitted a successful proposal to the Ontario Ministry of Health and opened the clinic in November 2008. Since then, Tiffany has worked tirelessly to build the practice into what it is today. She is proud to run a clinic that engages with the local community in such a meaningful and rewarding way.
Tiffany is a prominent member of the midwifery community. She was Lead of the Division of Midwifery at Markham-Stouffville Hospital for 8 years. She served as President of the College of Midwives of Ontario (on Council at the College from 2010-2019). Tiffany's focus has turned back to clinical care as well as precepting students for Ontario's Midwifery Education Programme. She is an adjunct Professor at both McMaster University and Toronto Metropolitan University.
Before becoming a midwife, Tiffany practiced as an Obstetrical Nurse for 8 years at Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital. After graduating with Honours in Health Sciences (Midwifery) at Ryerson University in 2002, she practiced for 4 years at The Midwives Collective of Toronto, a very busy practice in downtown Toronto. She maintains competency in Neonatal Resuscitation, CPR, Emergency Skills and Fetal Health Surveillance and has her Surgical Assist Certificate.
Tiffany is a passionate traveler, spending her holidays exploring the world and amassing great stories about her adventures. Tiffany has her certification in advanced open water diving. When not at her favourite dive spot in Cozumel, Tiffany’s newest passion is being on the mountains in Nepal. She summited Mount Himlung (7126M) in 2019 and cannot wait to get back on the mountain. Tiffany is also a certified yoga teacher and takes great joy in promoting the benefits of this traditional practice.
Tiffany's next educational pursuit is to finish her Master's in Global Health and make a contribution toward the UN's SDGs 3,4,5 and 17.
Allanah Shah, RM
Allanah Shah started her journey as an advocate for family-centered care through McMaster University's Midwifery Education Program in 2012 and graduated with a B.H.Sc in Midwifery. She always wanted to work in a health care profession, and was delighted to learn of midwifery as a profession which aims to provide safe and evidence-based clinical care while focusing on the personalised needs of each client and their family.
Throughout her training, Allanah had the opportunity to work with families across Ontario, as well as in Mumbai, India where she worked in a maternity hospital alongside doctors and nurses providing care for low-income women. Although she is fluent in Hindi which was helpful during her placement, she was humbled by the realisation that care, compassion and solidarity have a language of their own. She aims to encompass this idea into the care she provides to all clients.
Continuity of care is especially important to Allanah and is what brought her to midwifery. She loves to get to know clients and families, and feels very honoured to witness the birth of new relationships. Allanah is also passionate about informed choice and enjoys being able to support clients in choosing care that best meets their needs.
When she is not on call, Allanah loves to travel, dance, and spend time with family and friends.
Allanah is very excited to be working with the Uxbridge Community Midwives.
Jamiena Shah, RM
Originally from Toronto, Jamiena studied midwifery through a 3 year program in the United States at Birthwise Midwifery School in Bridgton, Maine, graduating in 2018. She apprenticed and worked with a team of certified professional midwives and registered naturopathic doctors in Brunswick, Maine specializing in home births and births at a freestanding birth centre. Her passion for midwifery took her to Lancaster, Pennsylvania after her time in Maine, where she worked with midwives who primarily served the Amish and Mennonite communities.
Jamiena completed the International Midwifery Pre-Registration Program, a bridging option for internationally trained midwives through Ryerson University in the spring of 2021 and completed her clerkship in full-scope midwifery with Hawthorne Midwives in Milton, Ontario and her New Registrant year with Uxbridge Community Midwives in Sept 2022. Jamiena is thrilled to be staying on as a General Registrant with our practice. Jamiena is a Registered Midwife with the College of Midwives of Ontario and maintains certifications in Neonatal Resuscitation, Fetal Health Surveillance, CPR, and Emergency Skills.
Prior to midwifery, Jamiena spent 10+ years working in the non-profit and NGO sector as a facilitator, project manager and coordinator within women’s health, youth leadership, and conflict resolution. It was during this time that she discovered her interest in midwifery as a profession having worked with midwives internationally. She also carried a strong desire to support women during pregnancy, childbirth and into the postpartum having grown up listening to stories from her grandmother who birthed 5 children all with midwives and at home in India.
In her spare time, she enjoys playing with spices in the kitchen, baking, yoga, reading, checking out farmer's markets, local coffee shops, great restaurants (self-proclaimed foodie) and playing on her pottery wheel.
She looks forward to meeting you and providing compassionate care.
“Hi! My name is Victoriana Domingos and I am a Midwifery student at McMaster University. I am excited to be joining Uxbridge Community Midwives for my senior year as a midwifery student.
Throughout high school I have always been interested in the physiology behind birth and the lactation process. I found myself consistently researching what careers paths would closely align with my interest in obstetrics, and midwifery was an automatic interest. The ability to incorporate informed choice and continuity of care, while ensuring cultural safety, is a big goal and value of mine.
I look forward to being part of your care team and I thank you in advance for allowing me to be part of your family’s monumental journey!”
Thank you,
Victoriana Domingos
Victoriana Domingos, Midwifery Student
Melanie Risebrough, Administrator
Melanie has lived the majority of her life in Durham Region. Melanie is a graduate of Sir Sandford Fleming College, successfully completed the Health Information Management Course.
Prior to commencing work at UCM Melanie worked at Markham Stouffville Hospital for 7 years. She gained many skills in the various positions she held which will be very valuable to UMW.
Melanie is thrilled to join Uxbridge Community Midwives for the next chapter in her work life. She looks forward to working with all the Midwives and meeting all the clients and supporting them with her professional skills. She is happy to work in a clinic that provides a positive and rewarding experience.
In her spare time, she enjoys reading, baking, golfing, playing darts, completing 1000+ piece puzzles in record time, playing cards - especially euchre and cribbage and is not afraid to put a little money on the table, camping in her deluxe RV and driving her ATV on the trails. Melanie is also a member of both the Uxbridge Legion and the Uxbridge Ladies Auxiliary.