Our office now provides Women’s Health services provided by our Certified Nurse Midwife, Mara Evans DNP CNM.
What is a midwife?
Certified Nurse Midwives are licensed health care providers educated in nursing and midwifery. Like OB/GYN physicians, Nurse Midwives offer family planning, pre-conceptual care, delivery and post-partum care, as well as gynecological care including screening and treatment of sexually-transmitted infections.
What are the similarities between OB/GYN physicians and Nurse Midwives?
Both are highly trained and certified experts in women’s health and pregnancy with extensive training in their field. Both are extremely passionate about their field and committed to your safety and comfort. Both strive to give you the best experience and work together in a collaborative partnership to provide you the best possible care. It is highly likely that regardless of which kind of provider you choose, you’ll be involved with both a Certified Nurse Midwife and an OB/GYN Physician along your journey.
What are the differences between OB/GYN physicians and Nurse Midwives?
OB/GYNs and midwives have different credentials and educational backgrounds. OB/GYNs are medical doctors who specialize in women’s reproductive health as well as pregnancy care and delivering babies who are also surgically trained and can perform Cesarean sections when necessary. Midwives can also perform a broad range of women’s health services and specialize in low-risk pregnancies and natural or little-to-no pain medication births, although with a midwife you can still choose to have an epidural during labor.
What are some things I should consider when deciding to see an OB/GYN physician vs. a Certified Nurse Midwife?
Whomever you choose will be a part of a larger, collaborative team that includes Certified Nurse Midwifes and OB/GYN Physicians, including Laborist physicians on call. This team is committed to the continuity of your care and working together to provide the experience you’re hoping for. One thing you should consider is if your pregnancy is considered high risk or complicated. In these cases, particularly if surgery would be indicated, an OB/GYN physician would be the most appropriate choice as your provider.
The provider you choose may or may not be the one to deliver your baby. Our providers (physicians and midwives) share the on-call duties at the hospital and your provider may not be the one on call when the baby decides to make their entrance.