Q: What's a nurse-midwife?
Posted
Saturday, March 31, 2007 10:28 PM
Q: What's a nurse-midwife, and how is it different than an OB/GYN or a doula? Why should or shouldn't I use one?
Denise Gershwin, CNM: Midwife
means “with woman.” Nurse-midwives offer health care to women, focusing
particularly on normal pregnancy, childbirth, the postpartum period,
family planning and routine gynecological care.We emphasize the
physical, emotional and social needs of patients. Teaching is an
important aspect of each patient visit -- we work hard to involve women
and make them partners in their health care. We also concentrate on diet,
nutrition, exercise
and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. We believe that pregnancy
and childbirth are natural processes, and try to avoid interventions
unless indicated.
Nurse-midwives have a
combination of training in modern obstetrics and gynecology,midwifery
(the traditional birthing practice), and nursing. Many nurse-midwives
(including me) work as maternity nurses and then return to graduate
school to become a nurse-midwife. This training and experience makes us
especially well prepared to support women who desire natural childbirth.
We support each woman’s right to a satisfying birth experience, and
provide support during the labor and birth processes to achieve this
goal. For some women this means pain medication, and for others this
means a natural childbirth. We believe that it important to educate and
to empower women through their pregnancy, childbirth and family planning experiences.
Most nurse-midwives
in the United States practice within a hospital system,but some do
attend births out of hospital settings. Nurse-midwives collaborate with physicians and
consult on any variations from normal. If a woman in the care of
a nurse-midwife experiences significant medical problems, she may
be referred to a physician. Not all women are good candidates
for nurse-midwifery care due to certain medical, pregnancy
and gynecological conditions that are considered higher risk.
It’s important to let your health care provider know your entire
medical history so she can help you decide whether nurse-midwifery care
is right for you.
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