Obstetrics & Gynecology > Nurse Midwifery

Nurse Midwifery

Why choose Wayne Health for Nurse Midwifery?

Wayne Health’s Midwifery practice was established in 1980 and today is one of the longest-standing practices, locally and nationally. Our diverse group of midwives have a long history of excellence in providing obstetric and delivery care for women and have assisted nearly 40,000 metro Detroit mothers in safely delivering their babies since 1980. Our midwives also provide well-women care, contraceptive and family planning services and gynecological services.

Wayne Health’s Nurse Midwifery practice celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2020. Hutzel Women’s Hospital was the first hospital in Michigan to grant full-scope privileges to certified nurse-midwives.

Our Nurse Midwifery practice is a division within Wayne Health’s department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, incorporated in 1993.

Wayne Health Nurse Midwifery services offered

Wayne Health nurse midwives provide a wide range of services and the highest level of personalized care, including:

  • Family planning and counseling
  • Preconception counseling
  • Pregnancy-related services, including delivery and postpartum care
  • Adolescent pregnancy services
  • Water labor
  • Natural birth
  • Breastfeeding education and support
  • Well-woman exams
  • Breast and cervical cancer screenings
  • Evaluation and treatment of abnormal pap smears
  • Sexually transmitted disease screening and treatment
  • Complementary (alternative) therapies

Overview

Certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) are registered nurses (RNs) who have specialized education and midwifery training and certification. Nurse-midwives care for women before and after pregnancy, deliver babies in hospitals, and provide family planning and birth control counseling. They also provide gynecological services such as physical and breast exams, Pap smears, pelvic exams, and preventive health screening. They are qualified to order tests and prescribe medicines.

Nurse-midwives are licensed by the state in which they practice. Most nurse-midwives are nationally certified in their specialty areas.

Wayne Health's approach to diagnosis and treatment

Wayne Health nurse midwives are Masters-prepared practitioners who possess a special understanding of women’s health and the birthing experience. Our nurse midwives offer a holistic, education-based approach for low-risk patients that is individually tailored to meet the specific needs of each woman. The focus of the nurse midwife in delivery is to provide a normal, natural birth experience within the hospital setting. If a woman develops a medical condition that complicates her pregnancy, the midwives work in collaboration with the attending doctors to ensure access to the level of care that is needed. Nurse midwives are culturally sensitive to the needs of women of all lifestyles and ethnicities. Midwives are with women for their lifetime of care.

Providing care and guidance through pregnancy and childbirth is just part of the range of services offered by nurse midwives. Many nurse midwives provide care for women of all ages – from teenage years through menopause and beyond. In fact, many women visit a midwife for women’s health needs before, during, and after pregnancy.

Advancing research and medical education

As an academically-affiliated practice, Wayne Health nurse midwives serve as educators as well as clinicians. The nurse midwives were instrumental in Wayne State University’s development of a graduate Nurse Midwifery Education program and serve as the primary preceptors for students in the program.

Wayne Health physicians and researchers are also faculty at Wayne State University School of Medicine who conduct basic, translational and clinical research. Our affiliation with WSU makes the latest treatments and clinical trials available to you sooner than other providers without a medical school affiliation.

For more information, please visit the links below at the WSU School of Medicine.