Midwifery Services

Certified Nurse Midwives specialize in the care of women during pregnancy, labor and delivery, and the post-partum period. We are registered nurses who have had advanced training in the art and science of Midwifery. CNMs are board-certified by the American College of Nurse Midwives and licensed by the State of California. We are all lactation educators, and some are board-certified Lactation Consultants. Nurse-Midwives are widely recognized as experts in the care of healthy women.

Midwifery practice is focused on keeping women healthy and birth normal. We combine knowledge from midwifery, obstetrics, nutrition, exercise, and complementary medicine to help prevent complications. We want to empower you by providing you with information and choices, and by inviting your active participation in your care.

List of our Midwives in Santa Rosa

At Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa, Nurse-Midwives provide prenatal care, attend births, and do postpartum follow-up. We have office hours for prenatal, lactation, and postpartum visits. There is a Midwife in Labor and Delivery 24 hours a day. We admit you when you are in labor, oversee your labor, order medications if needed, deliver your baby (or may assist if you require a Cesarean Delivery). We take care of concerns in the postpartum period and   visit new mothers daily after vaginal births.

Nurse-Midwives work closely with the nurses and our physician colleagues, who are onsite at all times. An obstetrician is available to provide immediate consultation and/or assistance as needed for complications. Our expert team also includes other specialists, such as anesthesiologists and pediatricians, to provide the best possible care for you and your baby.

Our goal is the same as yours:  Healthy mom, healthy baby. We seek to earn your trust and want to work with you toward this goal. We believe every birth is unique and every woman and her family have the right to be treated with respect for their personal preferences. We want you to have the best possible birth experience, within the limits of safety.

We will provide our best support and advice based on our training, knowledge, and experience. We understand that it is disappointing if special circumstances arise that cannot be predicted and plans or intentions must be modified.  We will work with you through any medical decisions, providing sensitive explanations and support.

Our private labor/delivery rooms are comfortably appointed for the mother and her support people with the following:

• State-of-the-art birthing beds with squatting bar
• Pull out bed for support person
• Private bathroom and shower (with unlimited hot water)
• Lights that dim (or brighten as needed)
• Birthing ball (to sit on in early labor)
• TENS unit (TENS=Transcutaneous Electronic Nerve Stimulation—may help for pain or backache in labor)
• TV with cable
• iPads – informational resource that is available to you while you are admitted at Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa

Our birthing rooms and equipment are designed for you to be active during labor. Even when an IV or continuous monitoring is needed, you can move around the room, shower, or walk the halls. There is a pantry with snacks for moms, and a cafeteria that guests may wish to use.

A Certified Nurse Midwife is in attendance in Labor and Delivery at all times. We adhere to the following practices on a regular basis:

Before labor:

• We fully support the intention of women who would like a natural, unmedicated birth.  We likewise support women who desire a birth that is as pain-free as possible. We can provide medication to decrease the pain of labor, and we work closely with our anesthesiologists to order an epidural, if desired, at the best time.
• We strongly recommend childbirth preparation classes to help women and their partners understand the natural process of labor and giving birth.  Classes also teach coping skills for early labor, when it is too early in the process for most to receive an epidural. In addition, they provide information on some of the medical interventions that are at times necessary to insure a healthy outcome.
• You may wish to invite one or more people to support the laboring woman–family members, friends and/or doulas. Make invitations conditional, as you may want time alone during parts of your labor. We may need to limit the number of support people to comply with safety and privacy issues in the labor and delivery suite.

During labor:

• Once the baby’s initial status is assessed, you can walk, try a variety of positions (such as sitting on a “birthing ball”), or take a warm shower to help move labor along. You may bring your own music to set the right atmosphere for you. Women who have an epidural are restricted to bed rest.
• We can monitor the baby intermittently if the baby is handling labor well, based on a periodic review fetal heart rate tracing, as long as the woman is unmedicated and there are no other complicating factors.
• We believe most women should eat lightly according to preference and drink frequently in early labor, though there are some circumstances where this may be restricted. We can provide refreshments, or you can bring your own.
• Routine lab tests are done on admission, and having an IV port placed at that time may save an extra stick later. IV access is recommended as a safety precaution, and may be needed for medications, for hydration, or for preparation for epidural.
• We do not routinely do shaves, enemas, or episiotomies. We do not routinely utilize internal monitors or other interventions.  We work with you during the pushing phase and crowning to ease the baby out and reduce perineal tearing.

At time of birth:

• When possible, mothers may wish to reach down and help deliver their own babies.
• Unless otherwise indicated, the mother’s significant other may cut the umbilical cord.
• We place the baby directly on the mother’s abdomen when he/she is born so that mother and baby can maintain skin-to-skin contact.
• We encourage breastfeeding as soon as possible. Continued skin-to-skin contact of mother and baby for the first hour after the birth helps with this process.
• Unless there are special circumstances, babies are weighed in the birthing room and given their first bath with the family present after the immediate bonding period.

The new family stays together in the birthing room for 2-3 hours after delivery. We encourage quiet and privacy to assure optimal bonding and beginning of breastfeeding. Babies and their mothers stay together in private rooms on the postpartum floor. Mothers usually stay 24-48 hours after a vaginal birth, and up to 4 days after a cesarean birth.

Midwives make daily hospital visits to all new mothers who have had vaginal births. We assess how you are doing, and determine when you are ready to go home. Other lactation consultants are available on most days in both the hospital and pediatric offices to provide one-on-one breastfeeding support if needed.

You may wish to see a Midwife for your postpartum visit, at 4-6 weeks after giving birth.

As Nurse-Midwives have limited office hours, our appointments fill up quickly. If you wish to see us, it’s best to make appointments well in advance and in person.