You took the test, and those two famous "thin but there" pink lines light up the display screen.
Excitement, fear, and a storm of other emotions wash over you in an instant.
Now what? The Manitoba government recommends early prenatal care.
Southern Health-Santé Sud's most recent Community Health Assessment reinforces this, noting: "Women who access prenatal care and receive regular prenatal visits are more likely to experience better health outcomes... compared to women who receive no prenatal care."
But for many in southeastern Manitoba, accessing this care isn't straighforward.
Limited medical professionals in the region
Ruth Friesen, a pre- and post-natal educator with the Steinbach Family Resource Centre, says many people in Steinbach and area don't have a family doctor to start with.
"I'll have some participants come to the centre who have not seen a doctor at all, and they are pregnant," she says.
In those cases, Friesen explains, people are often paired with a temporary care provider during pregnancy. However, that care typically ends after delivery.
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Once under a doctor's care, expectant mothers are often referred to an obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN).
These medical professionals specialize in birth and the development of pregnancies.
Southern Health-Santé Sud says it has five OB-GYNs for a population of more than 226,000, and "the fastest growing population in Manitoba."
By comparison, the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA), which serves more than 750,000, says it employs 60 OB-GYNs.
While not all these people are, or will be, pregnant, this means the WRHA has approximately one OB-GYN for every 12,500 residents, while Southern Health has one for every 45,200.
According to WRHA's most recent Community Health Assessment, the WRHA's birth rate is also the lowest of the health regions.
Southern Health-Santé Sud's assessment adds that birth rates are higher in rural areas than in urban ones.
Location of specialists impacts accessibility
In Southern Health-Santé Sud, all five OB-GYNs are at the Boundary Trails Health Centre in Winkler.
This leaves many expectant moms making frequent road trips through their pregnancies, whether to Winkler or Winnipeg.
From Steinbach, either location is about an hour drive—or more—one way.
That can add up, with Doctors Manitoba saying, for uncomplicated pregnancies, obstetrical visits should occur every four weeks for the first 28 weeks of pregnancy, then every second week up to 36 weeks, and then weekly until delivery.
"It takes time, and money of course, because of gas. And, if they've got older kids, there's childcare, that sort of thing. There is a cost to it," Friesen says.
OB-GYNs may not be required for every pregnancy, but they are often consulted for their specialization, particularly when a pregnancy is considered high risk.
"As soon as you're potentially identified as 'outside of the normal scope of development,' or there's a medical concern... then it may be beyond the scope of what your family doctor can follow along with," says Jo-Anne Dalton, SFRC's executive director.
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All of Dalton's pregnancies have been considered high risk, requiring the attention of an OB-GYN.
"It's challenging. You're not just considering the trip to the doctor. It's the time away from home, time away from work, food while you're travelling. If you have kids, you do need a bit of a support network," Dalton says.
"If they don't have a vehicle to be able to get back and forth to the city, they really are having to draw on a village to be able to make those trips happen, and get the medical care that they need. Especially if they have a high-risk pregnancy."
But not every family—especially with the growing number of newcomer families in the region—has that network to lean on.
Local resource steps up for families
The SFRC provides support for many families in the region who are navigating these challenges.
"We have our pregnancy group here every other week, and then we have a breastfeeding support group which is open to expecting moms every week as well," says Dalton.
It's also a place where families find answers to many of their questions.
"We do our best to bring in as many kinds of expert speakers and educators in the field of prenatal support as we can," Friesen says.
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That includes Doctor of Medicine residents, pelvic floor health specialists, midwives, doulas, physical therapists, and more, she says.
"Some topics could include healthy pregnancy, fetal development, nutrition, as well as labour and delivery topics," she says, adding, "breastfeeding, postpartum baby care, all of those things."
That kind of extended, holistic care is important, and can't always be handled by a physician, Dalton says.
Beyond information, she says this programming offers connection with other parents on similar journeys.
"You're not just hearing from somebody who is only concerned about your physical wellbeing as a medical professional, but you're also hearing from lived experienced, other caregivers, and other moms, who have been through this," she says.
"Having a baby is not just a physical event. It's a huge emotional event," Friesen adds.
Find more information about the SFRC and the programs it offers at steinbachfrc.ca.
Assurance of recruitment in area of obstetrics
In an emailed statement, Manitoba's health minister Uzoma Asagwara says the province has hired 138 net new physicians, "some of which are OB-GYNs, and some of which are family doctors who deliver critical pre- and post-natal care."
The provincial budget for this year also included $1.1 million to create midwifery positions for new graduates in rural Manitoba, the statement reads.
Southern Health-Santé Sud also assures it is continuing recruitment for physicians, including those specializing in obstetrics.