Certified Nurse Midwives

At Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, we're proud to feature certified nurse midwives as part of our obstetrics team. Certified nurse midwives provide comprehensive prenatal care to women with uncomplicated pregnancies. They are also a source of gentle guidance and comfort to women who wish to experience birth as naturally as possible.

Our certified nurse midwives are nurse practitioners who completed training in midwifery. All midwives are board certified, meaning they passed rigorous exams demonstrating their knowledge. Meet our team. 

Benefits of selecting a certified nurse midwife include: 

• Comprehensive maternity services: Midwives provide trusted care through all stages of pregnancy and the postpartum period. You can count on us to deliver prenatal checkups, attend your birth and ensure your recovery stays on track. Services are based on the latest research and delivered with love on your terms.
      
• Low-intervention birth: Midwives do everything possible to give you a labor and delivery experience reflecting your preferences. For many women, this involves a natural birth, during which they tune in to their body’s cues and needs. We monitor you and your baby periodically to ensure you remain safe as labor progresses.
     
• Special birth center: Our Midwifery Birth Center at St. Joseph Medical Center is Washington state’s only outpatient birth center on a hospital campus. We offer a variety of amenities to support low-intervention delivery. These include designated tubs designed specifically for water births, nitrous oxide gas to ease discomfort, birthing balls, hammocks, stools, and bars.
     
• Ongoing women’s health services: Certified nurse midwives provide gynecological and primary care, such as routine physicals and pelvic exams. Midwives also manage reproductive health issues, like menopause, and provide in-depth education and counseling, including family planning. Explore our gynecology services. 

A birth center that felt like home: The Demas family’s story
For her second baby, Stef Demas chose a certified nurse midwife. She and her husband, Nick, enjoyed their experience at our Midwifery Birth Center because it felt like home. After delivering their baby, the family had room to bond thanks to the queen size bed. They were so pleased that they’d choose a certified nurse midwife and birth center for future pregnancies.

You may wish to choose a certified nurse midwife if you:

• Do not have a history of pregnancy or newborn complications 
• Currently have a low-risk pregnancy, meaning there are no known conditions putting yourself or your baby at risk of complications 
• Prefer a natural, low-intervention birth using gentle methods to relieve discomfort 
• Wish to have access to alternative and traditional pain management techniques

If you wish to receive an epidural, it may still be an option. Pain management experts (anesthesiologists) are just a phone call away and can quickly come to your bedside. For medical concerns affecting you or your baby, obstetricians (OBs) are also immediately available. When a C-section is necessary, procedure rooms are easily accessible.

Find a midwife who's right for you.