Midwifery
What is a Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM)?
The word midwife has been used for centuries to describe a woman who is “with women” at birth. Although midwives have been attending births in America since before 1776, the profession of nurse-midwifery began in the early 1920s when there was a very high rate of infant and maternal deaths.
Certified Nurse Midwives are licensed healthcare practitioners educated in both nursing and midwifery. They are experts in midwifery and well woman care. Before being allowed to practice, CNMs must graduate from an accredited program and pass a rigorous national certification exam. They are held to the high standards of practice set by the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM), the American Midwifery Certification Board and state licensing boards. All of TLC's certified nurse midwives hold masters degrees in nursing, as do more than 70 percent of all CNMs nationally.
More information about certified nurse midwives can be found on the ACNM website, www.midwife.org.
What services do CNMs provide?
Certified nurse midwives work in clinics, hospitals, birthing centers, HMOs and in private practices with physicians in all 50 states. More than 90 percent of all visits to CNMs are for primary care.
Services include:
Preconception Counseling and Care
• Assess and advise women on how to achieve the best health before pregnancy
Pregnancy, Childbirth and Postpartum Care
• Monitors the health of the woman and her baby
• Evaluates and manages the woman's progress during labor to ensure a safe delivery
• Provides advice on breastfeeding and monitors the new mother to ensure she remains healthy
• Performs the six-week postpartum exam
Gynecological and Family Planning Services
• Performs pap smears, breast and pelvic exams
• Offers referrals for mammography
• Treats vaginal and urinary tract infections
• Provides family planning services
• Provides counseling in health maintenance and disease prevention
Peri and Postmenopausal Care
• Provides annual exams including a complete health history, assessments and hormone replacement as appropriate
How Do CNMs and MDs Work Together? The TLC Team Approach
Since the “birth” of TLC, certified nurse midwives and physicians have been combining their skills to provide more than just “medical” care. While our CNMs deliver more than 80 percent of all our practice's normal vaginal birth babies, our physicians supply their expertise for all our complicated or high risk cases. In this way we cover the entire spectrum of care – from normal to high risk. As long as your pregnancy remains low risk or normal, you may see a CNM or MD for your prenatal visits.
When certified nurse midwives and physicians work together, great things happen for patient care! For example, TLC's primary or first time cesarean section rate is one of the lowest in all of North Georgia, including Atlanta. This is because each member of our team, doing what he or she does best, has more time to focus on an individual woman's needs. Our CNM/physician model delivers superior care that produces greater patient satisfaction with fewer complications.
A Few Online Resources
• Childbirth Education: www.lamaze.org
• Breastfeeding: www.gotmom.org
• Doulas: www.dona.org
• Midwives: www.midwife.org (Click on Consumer Information)
• Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC): www.ican-online.org