Services

Pregnancy Services

Prenatal Care

During pregnancy, the nurse-midwives provide comprehensive prenatal care including teaching and counseling in such areas as childbirth preparation, nutrition, and exercise.  We assist women and their families in choosing options for childbirth that will provide a safe and satisfying family-oriented childbirth experience.  We recommend that you meet each nurse-midwife at least once during your pregnancy to ensure that you will be familiar with us at the time of your labor and delivery.

Labor and Birth

During labor, the nurse-midwives provide comfort measures and emotional support, as well as evaluate the progress of labor.  We encourage your partner/support person to assume as active a role as possible in the labor and birth process.  We make every effort to facilitate the natural forces of labor in a non-interfering manner and to ensure that you have the birth experience that you want.  However, the CNMs are prepared to intervene and consult with a physician should the course of labor deviate from what is considered safe for mother or baby.  The nurse-midwives can provide pain-relieving medication as appropriate for the needs of women in labor.

During the birth process, the nurse-midwives perform normal vaginal birth and may, when necessary, cut and repair an episiotomy.  The CNMs examine and evaluate the newborn after the birth. If an operative delivery is indicated, the Fletcher Allen obstetrician performs the procedure while the nurse-midwife maintains a supportive role.

Postpartum

We evaluate the mother's condition daily during her hospital stay, as well as discuss and counsel the mother and her family on self-care, breast or bottle feeding, infant care, and birth control.  The CNMs see women in the office for their postpartum check-up at six weeks which includes a physical examination and provision for family planning measures as desired.

Annual Gynecology Visits

The nurse-midwives can provide interval health care to women throughout their life cycle. This includes regular gynecological care with Pap smears, breast exams, contraception and family planning, menopause information, hormone replacement therapy, and treatment of some gynecologic problems.  Referrals are made to a gynecologist whenever indicated.