When she was 12 years old, Sherilyn Gibbs got the opportunity to witness the miracle of birth as directed by a friend of her family who happened to be a midwife. The experience was so profound, it led Gibbs to a lifelong vocation. Today, she is Chief, Midwifery, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology for Lehigh Valley Health Network.
Midwifery may be the most misunderstood discipline in medicine. By definition, midwives help women manage the birthing process, primarily in low-risk labor and vaginal birth cases, as well as postpartum care. They also are trained to provide several other services that an obstetrician-gynecologist provides. A key focus of midwifery education is on the emotional, psychological and spiritual needs of the patient.
But when it comes to midwifery, there tends to be a lot of confusion over its nuances. Sherilyn Gibbs, Chief, Midwifery, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology for Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN), addressed five common myths when it comes to midwifery:
Myth #1: “I thought midwives don’t have a formal education.”
Gibbs: Midwives have been around in some form since biblical times, and originally it was a profession where you learned on the job. (Some who have certified professional midwife [CPM] certification earn that through apprenticeship instead of formal education.) Being a midwife today requires at the least a bachelor’s degree in a science program in addition to two years in an accredited midwifery program, plus a license from the American Midwifery Certification Board. Certified nurse midwives (CNM) are midwives who have master’s degrees, and many go on for doctoral degrees as I did when I earned my DNP (doctor of nursing practice). There are about 13,000 midwives practicing in the U.S.
Myth #2: “I thought midwives only perform home births.”
Gibbs: Today, 95 percent of certified midwives in the U.S. are affiliated with a hospital or health network. Giving birth in a hospital setting means clinicians are nearby to address the need for cesarean section, or any complications or medical issues a patient may encounter. Midwife-assisted birth in a hospital allows for the holistic approach to care offered by a midwife, with the entire complement of support offered by a hospital.
Myth #3: “I’d rather have a doctor than a midwife since I can’t have both.”
Gibbs: A patient can certainly have both. Across LVHN, our obstetricians-gynecologists (OB-GYN) work collaboratively with midwives. As a team of health care professionals, we support our patients’ clinical needs and personal preferences. Our patients get the best of both worlds.
Myth #4: “But midwives only focus on pregnancy and birth.”
Gibbs: We’ve been known to care for teenaged patients right through women in menopause. Midwives offer preconception counseling and healthy lifestyle counseling, dispense prenatal vitamins, take care of menstruation issues, and more. Since our focus is on emotional factors, we can develop close bonds with patients that can last. I get Christmas cards from patients I haven’t seen in 25 years.
Myth #5: “I want an epidural, and midwives don’t believe in them.”
Gibbs: The vast majority of midwives today work in hospital settings and work closely with clinicians, so utilizing an epidural is commonplace. Our goal is to provide all patients and their families as much support as possible throughout the process during this vulnerable time in life. It’s so rewarding to see those smiling faces when the baby arrives. It makes what we do such a wonderful job.
Want to learn more about midwife care at LVHN? Visit LVHN.org/midwife.
Lehigh Valley Health Network | lvhn.org
This post is a sponsored collaboration between Lehigh Valley Health Network and Lehigh Valley Style.
