When Julie Weathers was sent to shadow a nurse midwife during her senior rotation in the maternity ward as a student at West Virginia University, she knew she had found her calling.
“Being able to be with someone during a vulnerable time and help them is so rewarding,” said Weathers, one of seven certified nurse midwives in Mary Washington Healthcare’s nascent midwifery program. “Each intimate moment we have the privilege of sharing with these families during this time is not lost on us.”
Mary Washington Healthcare recently launched a Midwifery Program in addition to its Obstetrics & Gynecology department to provide holistic and comprehensive care from pregnancy through birth and postpartum.
The addition is part of the nonprofit’s effort to address the OB-GYN physician shortage facing the Fredericksburg area. According to a story published in Fredericksburg Parent & Family, there are currently just seven obstetrics and gynecology practices employing 22 doctors in all of Planning District 6 — which includes the city of Fredericksburg and Stafford, Spotsylvania, Caroline, and King George counties.
The program’s providers “all share the same passion for providing a holistic experience to these expecting families,” Senior Vice President and Chief Ambulatory Operations Officer of Mary Washington Healthcare Cathy Yablonski said. “We are able to have a midwife on call for every night to ensure that the families will have a midwife available to them should they want one.”
The level of emotional support that midwives provide to expectant families helps build bonds that often endure well after a successful birth and postpartum experience. The midwives provide care every step of the way — from the first prenatal visit to postpartum care.
“Christmas cards come every year from our patients along with photos and birth stories of additional children,” said Megan Pham, a certified nurse and midwife in the MWHC program. “Even after they move away and it’s been five years since we’ve treated them, they still send us cards thanking us for our support during such an important moment in their lives.”
The ability to support growing families with a more personalized touch is one of the many benefits of using a midwife. But their duties go beyond helping a family through the pregnancy — including menstrual concerns, menopausal care, routine care and preventative maintenance.
“Our care for these individuals is throughout their entire spectrum of health,” Pham said. “Within that spectrum, we manage low-risk individuals with low-intervention needs as they grow their families.”
The Midwifery Program is the first of this size in its region, Yablonski said. Expecting families can meet with a midwife at one of the Mary Washington Obstetrics & Gynecology practices, with locations in Spotsylvania and Stafford, and expectant families will deliver at Stafford Hospital.
HCA Virginia’s Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center recently announced that it was bolstering its women’s health team with the addition of four nurse midwives.
“We are incredibly proud to introduce this groundbreaking midwifery program,” Yablonski said. “Our commitment to providing exceptional care for mothers and babies is at the heart of this initiative. By bringing together a team of experienced midwives offering both inpatient support at Stafford Hospital and outpatient options at two convenient locations, we are setting a new standard for maternal and newborn health in our region.”
Mary Washington Healthcare is a founding corporate sponsor of the Free Press.
