Midwives still providing valuable assistance
A medical practice dating way, way, way back – to 40,000 B.C. – not only is still in existence, it is gaining momentum in Southwestern Pennsylvania.
“We’re certified nurse midwives, and we’re different from traditional midwives who would go into people’s homes,” said Amy Gramz, one of a half-dozen full-time members of Allegheny Health Midwives, a practice that operates within the Women’s Institute of Allegheny Health Network.
And there is another pronounced difference between the care CNMs provide compared with their long-ago predecessors. These local midwives are involved with more than birthing.
Marcia Klein-Patel, MD, PhD, and chair of AHN Women’s Institute, said the midwives group also “provides deep clinical expertise for not only expectant mothers and birthing people, but for any patient in need of gynecological services.”
“We also deal with menopause and other things on the gynecological spectrum,” said Gramz, who grew up in the West End of Pittsburgh and now resides in Robinson Township, Allegheny County, with her spouse and three sons.
]Gramz was a labor and delivery nurse for 16 years before joining Allegheny Health Midwives as a certified nurse midwi
Patients of the Midwives group who are expecting to give birth will deliver at AHN Jefferson Hospital’s labor and delivery unit. AHN said that, according to the National Institutes of Health, “roughly 94% of CNM-led births take place in a hospital.”
AHN said its midwives group works closely with physicians from AHN Jefferson Hospital, many of whom also provide services from the Peters Health + Wellness Pavilion.
Midwifery service is an expanding endeavor at AHN, one that now is available at four locations in three counties. The most recent one opened in July, at AHN Peters Health + Wellness Pavilion at 122 Gallery Drive, Peters Township. It is the first AHN Midwives site in Washington County. The others are at AHN Jefferson Hospital, and in Uniontown and Brentwood.
Providing assistance and guidance to families who are expecting is paramount, Gramz said.
“I think we’re getting patients who come in with a notion of what they think a birth is and what we do. We ask their goals and such. Some patients may get a birth that is different from what they thought they’d have, but end up satisfied with how the birth went.
“We tell patients that a birth is very personalized. We ask what is most important to you and we help them get there.
“It’s not one way or the other, but working toward the middle to reach their pathway to success.”
Medical routines are not always routine. Gramz said that when AHN Midwives face challenges such as higher-risk pregnancies and cesarean sections, or an emergency, “we work closely with our physician colleagues at Jefferson Women’s Health, many of whom also provide services at the Peters pavilion.
Gramz said the midwife movement “is definitely picking up steam” – in this region and across the state. She said Jefferson and UPMC Magee-Women’s hospitals are the only Pittsburgh-area facilities that offer midwife services.For out of hospital birth, The Midwife Center is also available.
For appointments with Allegheny Health Network CNMs, call 412-267-6600. Appointments are available with, but not limited to, Gramz; Stephanie L. Ehland; Emily Swinehart; Abigail Slocum; Aubrey Kendig, and Diana M. Shane.