Midwifery
What is a Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM)?
The word midwife has been used for centuries to describe a woman who is “with women” at birth. Although midwives have been attending births in America since before 1776, the profession of nurse-midwifery began in the early 1920s when there was a very high rate of infant and maternal deaths.
Certified Nurse Midwives are licensed healthcare practitioners educated in both nursing and midwifery. They are experts in midwifery and well woman care. Before being allowed to practice, CNMs must graduate from an accredited program and pass a rigorous national certification exam.
They are held to the high standards of practice set by the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM), the American Midwifery Certification Board and state licensing boards. All of TLC's certified nurse midwives hold maste'rs degrees in nursing, as do more than 70 percent of all CNMs nationally.
More information about certified nurse midwives can be found on the ACNM website.
What services do CNMs provide?
Preconception Counseling and Care
- Assess and advise women on how to achieve the best health before pregnancy
Pregnancy, Childbirth and Postpartum Care
- Monitor the health of the woman and her baby
- Evaluate and manage the woman's progress during labor to ensure a safe delivery
- Provide advice on breastfeeding and monitor the new mother to ensure she remains healthy
- Perform the six-week postpartum exam
Gynecological and Family Planning Services
- Perform pap smears, breast and pelvic exams
- Offer referrals for mammography
- Treat vaginal and urinary tract infections
- Provide family planning services
- Provide counseling in health maintenance and disease prevention
Peri and Postmenopausal Care
- Provide annual exams including a complete health history, assessments and hormone replacement as appropriate
How Do CNMs and MDs Work Together?
The TLC Team Approach
Our practice includes physicians who are board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology, as well as Certified Nurse Midwives. Since the “birth” of TLC, certified nurse midwives and physicians have combined their skills to provide more than just “medical” care. In this way, we cover the entire spectrum of care – from normal to high risk. As long as your pregnancy remains low risk or normal, you may choose to see a CNM or a MD for your prenatal visits. However, if you are considered a high risk pregnancy, then a physician will monitor your entire pregnancy.
During the course of your pregnancy, you may choose to see as many different providers as you are comfortable seeing. If you prefer to see just one person for your prenatal care, we are happy to honor that request.
However, when that special time comes for delivery, it may not be possible for the one person that you have been seeing to be present for your delivery. We always have one Midwife and one Obstetrician on call for a 24-hour time period at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville. You may choose to have either of those two people attend your delivery. Every effort will be made to ensure that you are able to have the birth experience that you are hoping to have.
When certified nurse midwives and physicians work together, great things happen for patient care! For example, TLC's primary or first-time Cesarean section rate is one of the lowest in all of North Georgia, including Atlanta. This is because each member of our team, doing what he or she does best, has more time to focus on an individual woman's needs. Our CNM/physician model delivers superior care that produces greater patient satisfaction with fewer complications.
Online Resources
- Childbirth Education: www.lamaze.org
- Breastfeeding: www.gotmom.org
- Doulas: www.dona.org
- Midwives: www.mymidwife.org
Have questions or need to make an appointment? Please call 770-297-2200.
