When Kristen Sochol chose a midwife to deliver her second child, it wasn’t because she had anything against doctors. She is a physician at Peconic Bay Medical Center specializing in orthopedic surgery. Doctor Sochol valued the hospital's world-class OBGYN team but in her first trimester, she met certified nurse midwife Vandy Ferrer,who is part of that team. The connection was immediate. What is a midwife?
A certified nurse midwife is educated in two disciplines — nursing and midwifery — and is certified according to the requirements of the American Midwifery Certification Board. A certified nurse midwife is trained to offer a full range of women’s services, including primary care,family planning and gynecologic needs, preconception care,pregnancy,childbirth,postpartum and newborn care.
Midwifery programs emphasize relationship-building by listening, educating and empowering women to care for themselves and their babies. Working in collaboration with the Maternal Fetal Medicine team, they can minimize unnecessary interventions for low-risk pregnancies, which account for over 90% of all pregnancies,with a holistic, nurturing and personalized approach.
They are also trained to identify at-risk pregnancies and refer, consult and collaborate with specialized physicians, including maternal-fetal medicine experts and obstetricians. Ferrer has decades of experience as a midwife and is the director of Peconic Bay Medical Center's midwifery program. Like all of the hospital's midwives,she works closely with its physicians, quickly bringing them in if circumstances make that advisable.
Studies support the benefits of this approach and midwifery programs in general. In fact,expanding midwife services can help fill gaps in healthcare access, substantially reducing mortality associated with pregnancy and childbirth, according to a study published in The Lancet Global Health. Other studies have shown that in the US,midwifery care is linked to decreased rates of medical intervention in childbirth, less likelihood of C-section delivery,and lower costs.
Additionally,research suggests that midwifery services may help reduce racial disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes. Doctor Sochol said, “I didn’t choose a midwife over a physician. In some ways, I chose both. " From pre-conception,pregnancy,labor and delivery and post-partum care, midwives offer patients the full scope of comprehensive well woman care options throughout their journey.
Doctor Sochol said,“I was so impressed by Vandy’s bedside manner and her capabilities that I didn’t have any doubts about choosing her to deliver my child. To me,it wasn’t so much about ‘midwife versus physician, ’ it was about my feeling of trust in Vandy. That’s so important through a pregnancy and delivery. ” Benefits of a midwifery program. Many women say they feel heard when they come to a midwife, Ferrer explained.
“The mantra for the American College of Nurse-Midwives is: ‘Listen to women, ’ and we spend a lot of time listening to what women want during pregnancy, delivery and the postpartum period. We work very hard to support a patient’s birth plan, whatever it is. ” Every plan is individualized,Ferrer added: Some lay out a non-medicated approach and others include interventions, such as receiving an epidural to control pain. Importantly, plans are flexible and can be adjusted as needed.
If a pregnancy is considered high risk,for instance, Ferrer might recommend an OBGYN who can help coordinate a medical team to manage preexisting or new conditions. If a patient requires a C-section, a doctor would perform it. In every case,Ferrer said,the key at Peconic Bay is coordination and collaboration, not competition. “The team approach at Peconic Bay means that as a patient you’re supported every step of the way, ” Doctor Sochol said.
“I loved working with Vandy,but I also appreciated that she had so many resources at her fingertips. I knew she wouldn’t hesitate to tap into them if necessary for my care. ” Ferrer added,“As midwives,we work side by side with our doctors throughout the pregnancy and during delivery, if necessary. It’s easy to coordinate things because we’re all right here.
” Peconic Bay Medical Center has twenty-four-seven coverage by eastern Suffolk’s largest team of board-certified neonatal nurse practitioners, newborn intensive care specialists,anesthesiologists and obstetricians. In addition to Peconic Bay,several Northwell Health hospitals offer expecting mothers midwife programs.
They include Huntington Hospital,Long Island Jewish Forest Hills, Long Island Jewish Medical Center,North Shore University Hospital, Staten Island University Hospital,South Shore University Hospital and Phelps Memorial Hospital. Midwifery services also extend to many of Northwell's physician practices throughout the tri-state area. This article originally appeared in the Northwell Newsroom in 2022. It was updated on October 7, 2024.