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EVERY YEAR, more than 500 babies in
our area are born with the assistance of
PeaceHealth Medical Group’s (PHMG) team of
seven certified nurse midwives. Many of those
births occur at the PHMG Nurse Midwifery
Birth Center at RiverBend, which opened in
its new location in 2010 after moving from a
historic home in Eugene that served women
and families for more than 20 years.
Midwifery techniques vary throughout
the U.S. according to the practitioner’s level
of education and training. Certified nurse
midwives have the highest level of education
and training and must complete several
important steps to earn their credentials.
“We are all registered nurses who have
earned master’s degrees in nursing with a
specialty in nurse midwifery from major
universities,” says Michele Peters-Carr, CNM.
“In addition, we have all passed a rigorous
national certification exam and are licensed to
practice.”
The Birth Center experience is unique. The
center itself is set up to resemble more of a
bed-and-breakfast inn than a medical facility.
The center has two birth suites, two exam
rooms, and space for education and wellness
programs. In addition, there are large tubs to
facilitate water births.
Deliveries at a birth center differ from
Learn about
us online
Planning a hospital
birth at Sacred Heart
at RiverBend? Visit the
Childbirth Services
section of our website,
www
.peacehealth.org/sacred-heart-
riverbend
, to take a virtual tour of our
labor and delivery suites and learn more
about pregnancy and parenting classes,
including a new online e-class.
hospital deliveries in many ways. For example,
instead of administering pain medications,
midwives use natural techniques to relieve
pain—including showers, baths, massage,
pressure and relaxation exercises. However, if
these techniques don’t work to the mother’s
satisfaction, she can be transferred to the
hospital, where she can receive pain
medication.
If complications arise, PHMG’s certified
nurse-midwives are linked to PeaceHealth’s
Sacred Heart Medical Center (SHMC) to
ensure that mom and baby get the level of
care they need. On average, about 10 percent
of women in labor at the PeaceHealth Nurse
Midwifery Birth Center are transferred to the
hospital, and the majority of the transfers aren’t
emergencies.
Certified nurse midwives attend more than
10 percent of U.S. births, and that number is
growing. While some women prefer to have a
completely natural delivery at the birth center,
others want to deliver with a certified nurse-
midwife in a hospital setting, where they have
access to epidurals and other pain medications.
PHMG’s certified nurse midwives also
provide primary health care to adult women—
including gynecological exams, newborn
Is a
midwife
right for
me?
Come see what certified nurse midwifery is all about.
Our midwives offer free orientation and will answer all
your questions. Call
541-222-7750
to arrange a visit.
The Nurse Midwifery Birth Center in
Springfield at 353 Deadmond Ferry
Road, less than a mile from Sacred
Heart Medical Center at RiverBend.
care, menopause management and wellness
counseling. But they are probably best-known
for their role in helping mothers-to-be have
birth experiences of their choosing.
Learn more about the PHMG Nurse
Midwifery Birth Center at
www
.peacehealth.org/birthcenter
.
Faye Patience, born May 7, 2010, was
the first baby delivered at the new
PHMG Nurse Midwifery Birth Center.
www.peacehealth.org
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