As part of our ongoing commitment to providing Family-Centered Maternity Care, Greenville Health System is now giving expectant mothers another option for pregnancy and birthing with the addition of nurse-midwifery services.
What is a nurse-midwife?
Certified nurse-midwives are registered nurses who have graduated from a nurse-midwifery education program accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education (ACME) and have passed a national certification examination to receive the professional designation of certified nurse-midwife. Nurse-midwives have been practicing in the United States since the 1920's.Midwifery as practiced by certified nurse-midwives encompasses primary care for women across the lifespan for adolescence beyond menopause, with a special emphasis on pregnancy, childbirth, gynecologic and reproductive health. Midwives perform comprehensive physical exams, prescribe medications including epidural anesthesia and pain medication during labor if needed, order laboratory and other diagnostic tests, and provide health and wellness education and counseling.
Our philosophy of care
We honor the normalcy of events in a woman's life-cycle. We believe in:- Watchful waiting and non-intervention in normal processes
- Providing individualized care and healing guided by the best evidence available
- Appropriate use of interventions and technology for current or potential health problems
- Consultation, collaboration and referral with other members of the health care team as needed to provide optimal health care
The hallmark of midwifery care is in providing continuous physical, emotional, and psychological support during the labor and birth process. Your midwife will stay with you throughout active labor and birth. Although midwives may ask a physician to step in when they feel necessary, patients are never "turned over" to another health care provider. We continue the relationship with the patient, even when another caregiver is involved for consultation or treatment.
The Midwife Advantage
- National health care studies report that nurse midwife/physician teams have significant advantages over facilities where nurse midwives are not available. These collaborative teams incur lower health care costs and improve birth outcomes such as higher birth weight babies and lower infant mortality rates.
- There is also a reduced need for episiotomies, anesthesia, and cesarean sections. Studies have shown that women who use nurse-midwives have a higher rate of vaginal births compared to cesarean births.
For more information regarding the midwifery program, or to schedule an appointment with one of our certified nurse-midwives call (864) 455-1600.
Option of Collaborative Care
If you would like the option of having a midwife participate in your pregnancy and birth experience, but also wish to remain under the care of your primary obstetrician, we offer that option as well. Greenville Midwifery Care offers services through midwife/physician partnerships with Greenville Ob Gyn Associates, Piedmont OB/GYN and Premier Women's Care.
For more information regarding the midwifery program, or to schedule an appointment with one of our certified nurse-midwives call (864) 455-1600.
Greenville Midwifery Care
35 Medical Ridge Drive
Greenville, SC 29605
(864) 455-1600