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By Anne Cloonan, Staff
Writer
October 09, 2002
At the office of Family
Nurse Midwife Associates in the medical professional building
at Jeannette Memorial Hospital, two bulletin boards are full
of photos of babies delivered by the midwife practice.
Now through Friday,
Oct. 11, is Nurse Midwifery Week, and the practice is enjoying
the recognition. Trained nurse-midwife Sandy Mauro of Forest
Hills explains some of the differences between care by an obstetrician/gynecologist
and care by a midwife. Typically, nurse midwives attend only
normal births, and she and partner Gretchen Cohen of Elizabeth
Township do not deliver the babies of women with high blood pressure
or diabetes that could cause complications of delivery. Midwives
are thoroughly trained in the mechanics of normal birth, but
do not do cesarean sections. Mauro and Cohen deliver babies only
at Jeannette Memorial Hospital, which owns their practice, and
do not do home births. They have a doctor on call if a caesarean
section should be needed. Midwives tend to spend a lot more time
talking to prospective mothers and answering their questions
than doctors do, explains Mauro. "We specialize in high-touch,
low-tech (care). It's more time intensive. We try to develop
a partnership with the family."
An hour is usually
given to a first visit with a patient, and visits after that
are scheduled for half an hour. Nurse midwives must first earn
a bachelor's degree in nursing, then attend midwifery school
for two years. Suzanne Taleff, 38, of North Huntingdon says she
switched from care by a gynecologist to the midwives' practice
in the 20th week of pregnancy because she wanted more personal
attention. Taleff and her husband, Lou, are thrilled that she
is pregnant with their first child after 17 years of marriage.
They had given up hope of conception five years ago, she says.
She says she wants to feel special in the care she receives.
"They (the midwives) spend much more time with you - the
care is just more personalized. "With my obstetrician-gynecologist
I was another 15-minute appointment. He would come in, check
the (baby's) heartbeat and head out the door, and I had to scream
for him to stop, if I had questions."
Another difference
is that midwives typically stay with the laboring mother throughout
labor and delivery. Midwives are also much less likely to do
episiotomies. Mauro says women can opt for a lot of pain medication,
some medication or natural childbirth through their practice.
She and Cohen encourage women to get up and move around during
labor, since position changes and the use of gravity help to
make labor shorter.
Other means to relieve pain without the use of anesthesia include
immersion in a bathtub and position changes in a warm shower,
she says. The midwives tailor-make the birth experience to what
the parents want, Mauro says. They also offer advice on how to
nurse successfully after the baby is born. Those interested in
finding out more about delivery through Family Nurse Midwife
Associates can call 724-527-9159.
©Norwin Star 2002
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