ROANOKE, Va. – LewisGale Midwives was the first hospital-based independent midwifery practice in the area when it launched five years ago.
“So we were the first hospital-based independent midwifery practice in this area here, really in southwest Virginia. I think the closest independent practice is in Lynchburg," said Kris Conrad of LewisGale Midwives, who developed the midwifery practice at LewisGale.
What is a midwife?
Midwives are professionals who help during the process of labor, delivery and postpartum care. Midwifery minimizes the level of medical intervention during pregnancy and delivery, though midwives can still be present during a hospital delivery.
LewisGale Midwives celebrated their expansion and progress Wednesday at LewisGale in Salem with a small gathering of team members and hospital staff.
Conrad said that in their first year of opening, they recorded 55 births. Now, they handle about 30 or more births each month and have expanded their staff from 3 to 7.
“I think that we were offering a service that was unique and something that people really needed to be able to have access to,” said Kris Conrad of LewisGale Midwives. “I’m of the feeling that every woman should be able to have a midwife if she desires one. And the fact that we were able to do that here in a hospital-based system is amazing.”
Midwifery services are also available in the New River Valley, where they will soon celebrate their own anniversary.
Certified nurse midwives vs. OB/GYNs services
According to LewisGale, CNMs help coordinate a patient’s care so she can realize her chosen birth plan, allowing mothers to choose an option that involves less medical intervention.
CNM’s prioritize strategies for deliveries that do not require the aid of traditional medicine, otherwise known as low-intervention births. LewisGale Midwives offer prenatal care to postpartum support. Midwives also perform wellness exams and other aspects of overall care.
“If you are free of preexisting medical complications and show no signs of having a high-risk pregnancy, midwifery care at our hospital could be the right for you. However, if you possess any conditions that could define your pregnancy as high-risk, you would turn to an OB/GYN for your labor and delivery care. OB/GYNs are physicians that have completed medical school, residency and additional specialized training. While CNMs specialize in low-intervention births, OB/GYNs handle all pregnancies and can intervene in cases of required cesarean sections (C-sections).”
“Some women are just seeking midwifery because they want a more natural experience. They want to be able to have a birth, maybe an unmedicated birth, or maybe want to have more support during their prenatal visits or their labor. And so we’re able to provide that. We have a little bit longer visits maybe than your standard OB visits, and we’re able to spend a lot of time with people during their labors. About half of our moms choose not to have an epidural during their labor. This year, I think our epidural rate was 52% of our moms,” Conrad said.
“We’re able to give labor support. We welcome doulas into the birth space, so people sometimes will hire a doula and have a doula with them, which is a person that provides extra support as well. So we’re able to just provide a different type of service, with fewer unnecessary interventions. We’re really about giving people the information that they need to make the best decision for their own baby and their own body, and we’re just able to be present and only intervene when medically necessary. I think that’s what some people are looking for.”