Midwifery
Providing expert care while empowering women during pregnancy and birth
We understand that as a woman, you have certain healthcare needs. Whether it’s routine gynecological care or selecting a birth plan that suits your needs, our team of midwives are here to help you make choices that are best for you.
What to Expect with Midwifery
You can expect a special kind of care when you choose an IU Health midwife. Our midwives see themselves as partners in your care and want to make sure you have an active voice in your healthcare decisions.
At IU Health, we believe that life events such as puberty, pregnancy, birth and menopause are normal experiences—not illnesses. Our goal is to provide education, counseling, and support so you can make the best choices for you and your family. Our midwives have access to the highest levels of care, making it easy to consult with or refer to physicians and other professionals when needed. Our team of consultants includes obstetrician-gynecologists, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, anesthesiologists, pediatricians, and neonatologists.
What Do Midwives Do?
Certified nurse midwives are advanced practice registered nurses who have completed an accredited graduate education program in midwifery and passed a national certification exam. IU Health midwives are experts in women’s health. Our midwives provide individualized care through all stages of a woman’s life. Midwives provide prenatal care, family planning services and routine women’s health exams.
How Does a Midwife Help During Pregnancy?
Midwives are experts in normal pregnancy and birth. They will listen to and ensure your concerns and wishes are addressed. They perform all prenatal care using current technology and laboratory tests as needed. Our experts are trained to recognize deviations from the normal. We welcome questions and strive to educate you of your options during childbirth.
Our team respects and supports the diversity of women’s needs. We understand the variety of personal and cultural meanings that women and their families bring to pregnancy.
How Does a Midwife Help During Birth?
During labor and birth, our midwives will:
- Monitor the health of both you and your baby
- Provide continuous emotional and physical support
- Provide access to pain management techniques, including hydrotherapy and water birth, nitrous oxide, IV pain medications, and epidural anesthesia as desired
- Help you give birth and deliver your baby
Our team members help you make choices that are best for you, including options for pain management. After birth, our midwives are a great resource in your new role as a mother.
Water Births
Water birth is a gentle way of welcoming your baby into the world. Some of our midwives are trained to help women who chose a water birth as their birth plan. Whether you wish to use water for labor only or stay in the water for delivery, midwives are there every step of the way to oversee the safety of you and your baby. Water births are available at select IU Health locations.
Routine Women’s Healthcare
IU Health midwives provide routine primary and gynecologic care for women of all ages. This includes:
- Health education
- Preventive care
- Preconception care
- Family planning
Our midwives are advocates for patient choice. We spend extra time during your appointment getting to know you, listening to your concerns, and providing education and support. Our midwives can write and refill prescriptions.
IU Health is committed to providing you with exceptional care throughout each stage of your life. Our team of certified midwives is conveniently located throughout central Indiana. We have offices in downtown Indianapolis and attend deliveries at the Riley Maternity Tower.
Our team of midwives work in collaboration with obstetricians, gynecologists, perinatologists, anesthesiologists and neonatologists to ensure your healthcare needs are met.
You can rest assured that your care and convenience are our priority. We offer a variety of scheduling options available to meet your needs.
Why Choose IU Health for Midwifery?
IU Health is committed to providing you with exceptional care throughout each stage of your life. Our team of certified midwives is conveniently located throughout central Indiana. We have offices in downtown Indianapolis and attend deliveries at the Riley Maternity Tower.
Our team of midwives work in collaboration with obstetricians, gynecologists, perinatologists, anesthesiologists and neonatologists to ensure your healthcare needs are met.
You can rest assured that your care and convenience are our priority. We offer a variety of scheduling options available to meet your needs.
Frequently Asked Questions About Midwifery
Do you attend births at home?
No. While we fully support every woman’s right to choose where and with whom she gives birth, we do not attend births at home. All our births are attended at our hospitals.
Are midwives anti-pain medication or anti-epidural?
No, we believe in informed choice. Once given accurate information, you and your family can choose if an epidural is the right choice for you. We support and respect your decision. Expectant mothers have access to IV pain medication, nitrous oxide gas, amniotomy and epidurals, as needed or desired.
Can I labor and give birth in any position?
Absolutely. Not only are we fine with changing position, we strongly encourage it. We find that keeping mothers moving throughout labor is helpful for pain relief, as well as for correctly positioning your baby. We are familiar with the majority of birthing positioning and will help find the one that feels best for you at the moment.
Do I have to be hooked up to monitors the whole time?
If your pregnancy is normal and full term, most women are generally not on the monitor the entire time. Upon arrival to the unit, you’ll be placed on the monitor for 20 minutes to evaluate your baby and ensure that the baby is handling labor well. If all is well with you and you fit the criteria, we follow the intermittent monitoring guidelines. This includes listening to your baby’s heart rate every 30 minutes, before-during-after a contraction, during active labor and every 15 minutes during the pushing stage.
Which midwife will attend my birth?
We work as a team and because of that, we like and encourage women to have several prenatal appointments with each midwife. We split calls evenly and want you to be comfortable with whoever is on call when you go into labor.
Can I have hydrotherapy?
Yes. Both water for labor (hydrotherapy) and water birth are options for low-risk midwifery patients. There is much research supporting the use of water for pain relief. IU Health has been performing water births for 20 years. Water births are available at select IU Health locations.
How soon after delivery can I leave?
An early discharge at 24 hours is something we support as long as you are stable. More concerning, is how the baby is doing in the first 24 hours. We recommend speaking with your pediatrician about his/her policy on early discharge.
Will my insurance cover a midwife?
Billing is the same for midwifery care as obstetrical care. We accept most insurance plans but encourage you to call our office or call your insurance company to inquire about insurance coverage.
Will medical students or residents be involved in my birth?
Indiana University School of Medicine is a major medical center and teaching hospital. Resident and medical student involvement in your birth process is likely to be minimal and is always your choice. The midwife or collaborating physician is in charge of your care at all times. If you are willing to have a resident or medical student observe your birth, it is a great learning experience and opportunity for them to witness natural childbirth.
Can I have a doula?
Yes, doulas are professional labor support and can be a valuable member of your birth team.
Can I just see the midwives? Or can I also see an obstetrician?
If your pregnancy is uncomplicated, then you would most likely only have visits with the midwives. If complications arise during your pregnancy, you may have a visit with one of the physicians in our practice. At any point in your hospital stay, if an emergency arises, one of our staff physicians is on-site and will be immediately available.