By Moira Wyton, The Tyee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Expanding midwifery care in British Columbia could help improve pregnancy outcomes for birthing parents and babies, particularly those  in rural and remote areas, according to a new study from B.C.-based  researchers.

Pregnant people under the  care of midwives were less likely to have underweight or preterm babies,  or to require the use of forceps, vacuums or caesarean sections to  deliver their babies than patients being cared for by only family doctors or  obstetricians, a Monday study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found.