Midwifery Services are part of the complement of comprehensive women’s health services offered at Saint Peter’s University Hospital.
All of the Saint Peter’s midwives are certified by the American Midwifery Certification Board. The midwives practice the hallmarks of midwifery care, including the empowerment of women as partners in their own care who share in making decisions about their birth experience and lifelong health and disease prevention.
With close to 5,600 newborns delivered every year at Saint Peter’s, the Midwifery Program is a part of the continued expansion of maternity services offered.
The Saint Peter’s nurse midwives care for women during their pregnancies through delivery, but also can provide routine gynecologic care for women throughout their lives. Expectant mothers have the opportunity to create a birth plan which the midwives use as a roadmap for a mother’s birth experience. The plan makes it possible for women to document options for their birthing experience, including a medication-free birth and the use of birthing tools for comfort.
The nurse-midwives incorporate a woman’s birthing plan into the delivery experience. A plan might call for a mother to walk around during labor; experience labor without pain medication; include music therapy; and the use of birthing tools.
The Saint Peter’s Midwifery Program grows out of the “OB Lite” program which was introduced a few years ago in the Saint Peter’s Labor and Delivery Unit. Women who choose this experience are encouraged to document their preferences for birthing alternatives such as bypassing intravenous medications and epidurals, avoiding C-sections and episiotomies, and a preference for tools such as a birthing ball during labor.
To make an appointment with Saint Peter’s midwives, please call 732.339.7879.
Meet the Midwives