Regional One Health’s certified nurse midwives provide care for women from the time they start their period through menopause.
Along with personalized well-woman services, they offer patient-centered prenatal care, and Regional One Health is the only hospital in Memphis where women can give birth with the support of a certified nurse midwife.
Learn more to decide if this empowering model of care is right for you!
Regional One Health offers multiple styles of care so patients can find the option that works best for their medical needs and goals – and their personality and lifestyle!
Certified Nurse Midwife Amanda Williams, DNP, CNM, FACNM, PMH-C is answering common questions about midwifery. She encourages women of all ages to learn more about this empowering model of care to see if it is right for them.
“Women deserve access to all the resources across the board,” Williams said. “Our goal is to make sure we have plenty of options for women in Memphis.”
What training do midwives have?
Williams said the majority of midwives in America are certified nurse midwives, who have at least a master’s degree. It is increasingly common for a nurse midwife to have a doctorate.
While some people think midwifery care is an “anti-establishment” option, she said it follows evidence-based care guidelines and nurse midwives practice in clinics and hospitals.
Are nurse midwives only for childbirth?
“Just because you aren’t having a baby doesn’t mean you don’t deserve midwifery care, in whatever form that takes for you!” Williams said.
Certified Nurse Midwife Amanda Williams said midwifery is a great option for women of all ages. “Women deserve access to all the resources across the board,” Williams said. “Our goal is to make sure we have plenty of options for women in Memphis.”
Certified nurse midwives see patients from the time they start their period all the way into menopause. They offer routine well-woman checkups, Pap tests, breast exams, STI and STD treatment and prevention, birth control, pre-conception counseling, and more.
Your nurse midwife can also offer basic primary care and preventative care, and they provide referrals to specialists and help you navigate access to specialized care.
If I choose a midwife for childbirth, what can I expect?
Williams said nurse midwives typically spend more time with patients than other providers during prenatal visits. During childbirth, they are at your side the entire time.
They encourage patients to develop a birth preference list so they can work together to create a meaningful, empowering birth. “We don’t like to call it a birth plan, because ‘plan’ sounds like it could fail. It’s shared decision-making,” she explained.
Williams stressed it is a misperception that midwives only attend home births. Certified nurse midwives practice in a clinical setting, and Regional One Health is the only hospital in Memphis where women can give birth with the support of a nurse midwife.
Another common misperception is that nurse midwives do not offer pain medication, Williams said. In fact, they can prescribe medication and offer epidurals and other options. They can also help manage pain through positioning, birthing balls, and other non-medication techniques.
Can I still see a midwife if I have a pregnancy complication?
At Regional One Health, nurse midwives work side-by-side with colleagues in OB/GYN, maternal fetal medicine, and other specialties. If you experience a pregnancy complication, your nurse midwife will continue to see you alongside the other providers needed for your care.
Midwifery isn’t just for pregnancy and childbirth! Our team offers well-woman care, Pap tests, breast exams, birth control, preconception counseling and more.
“We don’t just push you out the door! You can still see your midwife along with an OB/GYN or maternal fetal medicine expert,” Williams said. “If you end up needing a C-section, we can still go in with you during surgery so it’s not just you and a bunch of strangers.”
Patients who see a nurse midwife actually have lower rates of C-section, Williams noted. The national average for C-sections is around 32 percent, but for patients with nurse midwives it is around 10-12 percent.
What’s the difference between a midwife and a doula?
A doula is not a medical provider, Williams said, where nurse midwives are certified medical professionals. Therefore, doulas are not licensed or allowed to perform any medical duties during labor – similar to how a doctor must have privileges at a hospital in order to provide patient care.
That said, Williams encourages patients to hire a doula for support, massage, advocacy, etc. “Should you have both a doula and a midwife? Yes – 100 percent. It’s so vital to have that help,” she said. “Regional One Health encourages doulas!”
In fact, she noted, Regional One Health is part of a statewide project to train more doulas to provide support and advocacy for birthing moms.
How do nurse midwives approach patient care?
“Our goal is to provide the safest care possible while also making sure patients have an excellent experience,” Williams said. “Human dignity, respect, autonomy – these are all at the core of the midwifery philosophy.”
Midwifery is a personalized, empowering option for prenatal care and childbirth. There is a midwife available at Regional One Health’s labor & delivery center 24/7.
Too often, she noted, women feel dictated to, judged, or questioned when they seek health care; or they feel like they’re “bothering” their provider by raising concerns. Nurse midwives want to change how women are approached in the medical setting.
“Midwifery care can help all women,” Williams said. “You are at the center of your care. You’re the expert on your body. You are respected and heard.”
Learn more!
Regional One Health’s Certified Nurse Midwives see patients for well-woman and prenatal care at our East Campus, Hollywood Primary Care, and Main Campus Outpatient Center, and there is a nurse midwife at the Labor & Delivery Center 24/7.