Six weeks after the birth of my first son, I lay on the exam table in my midwife?s cozy office for my final six-week postpartum check-up. 
?This might sound odd,? I said, glancing at a boob-shaped ceramic mug sitting on the shelf, while Laura, my midwife, gave me a pap test. ?But I?m really going to miss you.?
Laura had been with me through nine months of pregnancy, 36 hours of labour, and a terrifying trip to emergency when my son was just three weeks old. Her guidance to follow my intuition that night likely saved his life. Saying goodbye was going to be tough?really tough.  
Laura nodded. ?A lot of women say it feels like going through a break-up.? 
It was true. Earlier, as I sat in the waiting room, I was already dreading the inevitable farewell. Aside from a few Canadian provinces and territories, midwives provide care for women during pregnancy, delivery and up to six-to-eight weeks postpartum?and it?s all completely free. (In Prince Edward Island, midwifery is still unregulated, and in places like the Yukon, there are access issues.) After that, midwives are forced to ?break-up? with their patients and mothers are shuffled to public health clinics, paediatricians or family doctors (if they have one) for their baby?s check-ups. It?s not a bad system, and many women may prefer it, but in my circle of moms, we all agree: waving goodbye to our midwives was devastating.   I thought back to my first midwife appointment. I was jittery with the awe and excitement of ...