{"id":35201,"date":"2024-10-10T07:00:03","date_gmt":"2024-10-10T07:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/?p=35201"},"modified":"2025-10-01T16:51:35","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T16:51:35","slug":"midwives-providing-care-beyond-childbirth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/midwives-providing-care-beyond-childbirth\/","title":{"rendered":"Midwives: Providing care beyond childbirth","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

Although the term midwife<\/strong> was historically defined as a person who assists women during childbirth, modern midwives specialize in both obstetric and gynecologic care.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe provide routine gynecologic care throughout a patient\u2019s lifespan, from adolescence to postmenopause, with a focus on having a healthy lifestyle,\u201d says Alyssa Martsching, CNM, ARNP<\/a>, a certified nurse-midwife with MultiCare Rockwood Clinic OB\/GYN & Midwifery Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That means in addition to providing care during pregnancy and childbirth, midwives see patients for annual gynecologic exams and preventive care. They can help with menstrual problems, birth control, pelvic infections, incontinence and menopause symptom management, among many other conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cMidwives take care of all people assigned female at birth including cisgender, transgender, non-binary, and gender diverse individuals,\u201d says Nadia Crane, CNM, ARNP, (she\/they)<\/a>, a certified nurse-midwife with MultiCare Women\u2019s Center \u2013 Auburn<\/a>. \u201cWe are inclusive providers who take care of all people who need our services.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everyone has their own unique needs. Midwives understand that and are known for personalizing a patient\u2019s care around those needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe tend to be able to take longer appointment times, which allows us to spend more time getting to know our patients,\u201d Martsching says. \u201cWe provide holistic care, not just for what is going on at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n

A natural approach to low-risk health care<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Midwives are also known to offer more natural approaches to care, when appropriate.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs midwives, we explore beyond the traditional realm of medical options,\u201d Martsching explains. \u201cDuring pregnancy, that might mean using papaya enzymes instead of Tums for heartburn, or using pressure points and bands instead of medication for nausea. Or for someone going through menopause, we may explore herbs, acupressure or acupuncture to manage symptoms, in addition to offering traditional Western medicine options.\u201d<\/p>\n

While midwives generally focus on low-risk care, if a condition becomes complicated or high-risk, or requires surgical intervention, they will navigate a patient\u2019s care appropriately and refer to MultiCare physician partners.<\/p>\n

Empowering patients to be drivers of their care<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cI encourage my patients to advocate for themselves and ask questions like \u2018What are the benefits? What are the risks?\u2019\u201d Crane says. \u201cI want to give the right amount of information so they can be empowered to make decisions about their health care and not feel like decisions are being made for them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crane says she likes to remind her patients that they can always change their minds. Whether that means changing their birth plan or care journey, going on or off certain medications, or changing the type of birth control they\u2019re on.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are the drivers of their care; they know their bodies and how they feel,\u201d Crane adds.<\/p>\n

Establishing care with a nurse-midwife allows you to form a relationship with a trusted care provider who can care for you throughout all stages of your life.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is to make sure our patients feel supported in their health care,\u201d Martsching says. \u201cWe\u2019re here to provide a knowledge base that patients can feel comfortable tapping into, knowing the options they have for their care.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Although the term midwife was historically defined as a person who assists women during childbirth, modern midwives specialize in both obstetric and gynecologic care. \u201cWe provide routine gynecologic care throughout a patient\u2019s lifespan, from adolescence to postmenopause, with a focus on having a healthy lifestyle,\u201d says Alyssa Martsching, CNM, ARNP, a certified nurse-midwife with MultiCare […]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":451,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[115],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-womens-health"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMidwives: Providing care beyond childbirth - MultiCare Vitals<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"From adolescence to postmenopause, midwives specialize in both obstetric and gynecologic care\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/midwives-providing-care-beyond-childbirth\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Midwives: Providing care beyond childbirth - 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