St. Mary's Hospital - Decatur Services Women's Health Having A Baby Midwifery

Midwifery at St. Mary's

A Certified Nurse Midwife is a specially trained nurse who has gone onto receive an advanced degree in midwifery. They are trained in the care of women throughout their lifespan, from early adolescence through menopause.

Midwives are geared toward helping women have their desired birth experience. Much of their time is spent focusing on the mothers and educating them on normal physiological births and they are considered the experts in that field. Research on better outcomes and fewer c-sections often leads you to midwives. Their focus on evidence-based practices is essential to their care.

Midwifery at HSHS St. Mary's Hospital

At St. Mary’s Hospital, we have group of midwives that are available to see patients in a clinical, prenatal setting and throughout the birth process. The 24/7 program gives us the ability to always have a midwife available for our patients and nursing staff at the bedside.

Midwives perform fewer interventions than the traditional medical model. One thing many midwives focus on during birth is watchful waiting, the natural process of birth with medical technology waiting in the wings in case of a health issue.

In 2017, certified nurse midwives are advanced practice nurses and mostly practice in the hospital setting. The benefits of midwives practicing in the hospital setting is that they can give mother’s the comforts of a home birth with the safety net of the hospital setting all while following evidence based practices and focusing on mothers and their babies.

Midwives at St. Mary’s make also post-partum visits with each mother daily to provide lactation support for mothers who choose to breastfeed, share expert advice and education.