Content derived from the “How Valley Midwives Provide Lifetime Women’s Wellness Care”
DocTalk by Certified Nurse Midwife, Laurie Rodenberg.
0:22 | What is a midwife? What types of training and skillset is involved?
A Certified Nurse Midwife is typically a registered nurse who works in labor and delivery for a period of time. I worked in labor and delivery for 28 years, and then went back to school to become a nurse practitioner, which involves getting a master of science degree in midwifery. Midwifery care includes women’s wellness from teen to menopause and specializes in prenatal care, labor and delivery, and postpartum care for those with a low risk pregnancy (pregnant with only one baby, not twins or more, and no signs of medical or obstetric conditions).
1:03 | What services do midwives offer other than birth?
One of my favorite parts about my job is supporting women’s wellness. A lot of the things that women see their OB-GYN for, we can do! We can do well-women exams, Pap smears and birth control, and even help with some common health problems. We often see people with hormonal conditions: menstrual irregularities, mood issues, people going into menopause, etc. We can do a lot outside of pregnancy, although that is what we are best known for.
1:48 | What is the youngest age someone could be seen by a midwife and what services would they likely be seen for?
Teens often come to see midwives when they’re having issues with their menstrual cycle. Whether it’s painful, heavy, or they don’t have a menstrual cycle. We’re a great resource for that age group and beyond.
2:22 | What services do you offer for women approaching menopause?
We see women approaching menopause for their yearly well-women exams, Pap smears, hormonal changes, etc. As women go through perimenopause (the phase before menopause) and menopause, there are a lot of hormonal issues we can help manage, as well as general wellness, which is a big part of what we do as midwives.
2:48 | Are there other types of preventive care that midwives provide?
Yes, absolutely! Other than the wellness checks and Pap smears, we do sexually transmitted infection testing, also known as STI tests, and we provide all types of birth control. We often just talk about birth control and go over all the options to try to find the best fit. One of the benefits of seeing a midwife is that we tend to have longer visits, so we have more time to have conversations. We also do pre-pregnancy evaluations where we meet with people and talk about their healthcare goals, where they’re at before a pregnancy, and help prepare them for the healthiest pregnancy they can have.
3:32 | How does prenatal care and the birth experience differ with a midwife versus an OB-GYN?
I always tell people that we have the gift of time as midwives, which is really a big benefit for women. We tend to have 30-minute visits, as opposed to 10 to 15 minutes. In the office setting, we have more time to get to know you, your family and your desires. In the labor and delivery area, similarly, we have the gift of time. You will see more of us at the bedside because we’re not called to more high-risk areas, like the emergency department and operating rooms. When we’re on call, our most important job is to care for people as the patient. This means our patients see a lot more of us, which is a gift we have. We also have the opportunity to do a lot more teaching, which is definitely a benefit.
4:20 | Are there services an OB-GYN can provide that a midwife can’t?
Yes, absolutely. That’s a really good question to make clear, because there is some confusion about that. Nurse midwives can do everything for you in labor and delivery, including provide you an epidural (an injection near the spine to numb pain below the waist), provide pain medication, and support births both with and without medication. We do low-intervention, “natural” deliveries whenever we can and we’re experts in shared decision-making. Not that physicians are not–we all are–but our gift of time helps.
We do not do C-sections, use forceps (an instrument shaped like large spoons to guide the baby out) or do vacuum deliveries. These are procedures we would ask a physician to join us for. I like to tell people that they’re not losing a midwife, they’re gaining a physician. We still come into the operating room and provide first assist, and we stay at your bedside if you need any extra actions beyond just a normal, vaginal delivery.Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I would say, in summary, when you’re looking at an OB-GYN versus a nurse midwife, there is no wrong choice. I would say that a midwife specializes in normal, low-risk pregnancies, as well as knowing when there is a need to do something more and involve an OB. We have a great team of midwives, OB-GYNs, and nurse practitioners at Valley that specialize in women’s health. We are here to support you in your pregnancy. For someone with a low-risk pregnancy, a midwife is a great choice.
5:33 | Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I would say, in summary, when you’re looking at an OB-GYN versus a nurse midwife, there is no wrong choice. I would say that a midwife specializes in normal, low-risk pregnancies, as well as knowing when there is a need to do something more and involve an OB. We have a great team of midwives, OB-GYNs, and nurse practitioners at Valley that specialize in women’s health. We are here to support you in your pregnancy. For someone with a low-risk pregnancy, a midwife is a great choice.
If you’d like to schedule an appointment with one of our midwives, please visit our website for more information on our Midwives at Valley Women’s Healthcare Clinic locations. Learn more about Certified Nurse Midwife Laurie Rodenberg.