Nurse Midwives
Certified nurse midwives are nurses with advanced training to work with prenatal, obstetric, and gynecologic patients. To become a nurse midwife, a registered nurse usually has to obtain a master's degree in nursing, but some states recognize a bachelor's degree in nursing as well. Nurse midwives are thought to be more available to patients in rural areas, but the number of overall births attended by nurse midwives in recent years has increased a great deal.
Certified nurse midwives attend schools that are accredited by the American College of Nurse-Midwives. Most nurse midwives are very involved in the labor and delivery process and stay for the duration of it; usually they are involved and more hands on than their obstetric physician counterparts. Midwives are trained in a variety of medical procedures and can prescribe and administer medications. They often promote alternate means of pain management like medication or water births. They will prescribe medication for pain during labor, if needed. Nurse midwives are trained to handle normal variations in labor, but will contact a collaborating physician if needed to assist with deliveries that become complicated.
Nurse midwives usually work in hospitals or birthing centers and also see patients in an office setting. Some nurse midwives deliver babies at home. Midwives are a good option for expecting mothers who want more individualized care than they would receive from an obstetrician. Several studies have shown that healthy women who choose a midwife for their delivery have fewer medical interventions, such as episiotomies and cesarean sections. Midwives focus on woman-centered care and view labor and delivery as a normal, natural process. Physicians tend to focus on intervening in labor, sometimes unnecessarily. They also help post-partum mothers with any difficulties they might have with breast feeding or care of their newborn.
Midwives also treat women at times in their lives other than during pregnancy and delivery. They can do annual gynecologic exams on patients. They educate their patients about birth control and can prescribe oral contraceptives as well as injections for birth control. They can treat patients with vaginal infections or other health problems. Nurse midwives are trained to recognize complications early in order to refer patients to specialists.
Patients who are treated by midwives are sometimes surprised at the amount of time that they spend with patients. The nurse midwife spends a lot of time teaching preventive maintenance to patients. She educates patients about changes that occur over the lifespan and during pregnancy. Midwives often spend up to an hour with new patients doing an extensive history and physical exam. Patients like the care that nurse midwives provide and appreciate the time that they spend giving individualized care.
The care given to patients by certified nurse midwives is some of the best care available. Patients with obstetric or gynecologic issues will feel at ease asking a midwife questions. This promotes good patient teaching and in turn promotes disease and illness prevention. Nurse midwives empower their patients, especially laboring patients because they allow them to stick to their birth plan and stay by their side throughout the labor and delivery process.
Published: 2009-11-03
