Open Door Family Medical Center began offering midwifery care in 1991, and later hired its first midwife in 2003. By October 2023, Open Door’s midwives had delivered their 10,000th baby. At a time when the birth rate in the U.S. has declined, Open Door’s midwifery team continues to grow, delivering more than 300 newborns a year.
As midwives build a relationship with patients, patients get better understanding of the full scope of care midwives can provide.
“I think most people understand that midwives deliver babies,” said Judy Dalton, who has worked as a midwife for nearly 30 years, the last 18 at Open Door. “But not everyone realizes that we’re full-service health-care providers. We are there at the time of birth, which of course is the most important and integral and providing prenatal and post-partum care, but we offer care and advice for women throughout their lives.”
Midwives provide women’s health care from puberty, before, during and after pregnancy and continue straight through to menopause. This includes cancer screening providing information about family planning and preconception counseling, as well as care during pregnancy.
Education is at the heart of what midwives do, which includes teaching their pregnant patients the importance of pre- and post-natal care and breastfeeding. Ideally, a pregnant woman at Open Door will see a midwife from the time she first learns she is pregnant and continue with post-partum care after giving birth.
“As midwives, we listen to our patients’ desires and needs,” said Dalton. “We find out what they want out of their pregnancy, what they want during the birth and we work to accommodate their birth plan of care.”
While there is a general misconception that midwives only deliver at home, in fact, midwives can deliver at home, in birthing centers or in a hospital setting. Open Door midwives are hospital based and on call 24-7 at Phelps Hospital.
Many people confuse midwives and doulas or use these terms interchangeably. While both support expectant mothers, they have different roles.
Both midwives and doulas provide physical, emotional, and informational support throughout pregnancy, childbirth, and after delivery. They may offer relaxation techniques, massage, and breathing support. However, the main difference between them is their qualifications and credentials.
Midwives in New York state must hold certifications and all have post-graduate training in midwifery.
A resurgence in midwifery sprung up in the 1970s, alongside the feminist movement. Today, midwifery continues to develop across the New York metropolitan area and beyond. The profession requires completion of graduate-level education, with 46 accredited midwifery education programs available throughout the country. According to the College of Nurse-Midwives, the profession’s governing body, there are only 12,000 certified nurse midwives in the U.S. (not all of whom work in hospital settings).
