A midwife birth involves a certified nurse-midwife who is a registered nurse with advanced training in midwifery. A midwife can provide care throughout pregnancy, childbirth and after childbirth.

What is a midwife?

Certified nurse-midwives provide pregnancy and childbirth care that combines conventional and complementary care recommendations, including options like water birth, vaginal birth after Cesarean, and support for use or non-use of pain medication in labor. Midwifery is centered on wellness, nutrition and healthy lifestyles all while supporting a woman’s emotional and physical well-being. Learn more about delivering with a midwife.

What do midwives do?

Some of the health services certified professional midwives may provide include:

• Prenatal appointments
• Ultrasounds
• Birth and newborn care
• Assistance with natural childbirth
• Postpartum care
• Education on breastfeeding, nutrition, and other aspects of reproductive health
• Birth control and family planning

What to expect from certified nurse midwife care

During pregnancy care and childbirth, your midwife will:

• Offer care that combines conventional and complementary care recommendations
• Support your birthing choices, including water birth, vaginal birth after Cesarean (vbac), trial of labor after Cesarean (tolac) and family-centered Cesarean services, as appropriate with collaborative obstetrics partners
• Support your decision to use or not use medication in labor; nitrous oxide is available at The Mother Baby Centers of Allina Health.
• Encourage use of doulas for continuous labor support, hypnotherapy classes for birth preparation and placental encapsulation
• Include the family and others from your community in your birth experience

For general care needs, your midwife may offer annual health exams, pap tests, birth control, infertility evaluations, menstruation evaluations and menopause care, among other women’s health care services.

Our certified nurse midwife partners

The Mother Baby Center care team is proud to partner with following midwifery groups:

• Allina Health midwives catch babies and caregivers at The Mother Baby Center at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, United Hospital located in St. Paul and Mercy Hospital located in Coon Rapids.
• Health Partners midwives catch babies and caregivers at The Mother Baby Center at Mercy Hospital located in Coon Rapids.