Fletcher Allen, a Vermont university hospital and medical center, serves all of
Vermont and the northern New York region. Located in Burlington, Fletcher Allen is a regional, academic healthcare center and teaching hospital in alliance with the University of Vermont.
Labor and Birth
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.