Nurse midwives empower patients with delivery options

Sarah Darby, RN, CNM, is a nurse midwife at The Women’s Healthcare Group. She delivers at Overland Park Regional Medical Center as well as the Shawnee Mission Medical Center.

“Nurse midwives are more able to develop and bond with their patients,” said Sally Darby, RN and CNM at The Women’s Healthcare Group in Overland Park. “We’re going to enable them to be part of the decision-making process.”

Darby has delivered 130 babies since 2009, when she began training as a midwife.

“It’s that sense of responsibility,” she said. “You are making all the decisions. You can make an impact and influence in women’s lives.”

Midwives care for normal, low-risk healthy pregnancies, which distinguishes them from obstetricians who care for high-risk pregnancies and healthy pregnancies. Darby said she is passionate about practicing in an area where she can offer her patients a wide range of services. She encourages expectant mothers to make their own decisions about their birth plan and spends a lot of one-on-one time educating her patients. She likes to tailor pregnancy care to fit each unique individual, she said.

“Pregnancy is in itself a healthy state of being,” she said. “That’s how midwives view it.”

Darby said patients who decide to use a midwife come to her with a fair amount of knowledge on the process of pregnancy and childbirth. They have taken the time to learn something about the process, she said, and arrive prepared to be a decision-maker. Darby helps expectant mothers understand their labor options, whether they choose a natural childbirth or one with medication. Should a woman choose a natural birth, Darby said having a midwife will help ensure her success.

“For some women they want to explore that natural childbirth option,” she said. “My passion is helping women through a natural childbirth.”

Darby delivers at Shawnee Mission Medical Center and Overland Park Regional Medical Center. Women can choose a home birth, a birthing center or labor and delivery unit at a hospital. The options for delivery are abundant, she said.

Mothers Wanting Natural Childbirth Have Options

By DyAnna Gordon
The experience of giving birth profoundly impacts a woman forever. In the past, many women had little choice in their birth experiences. Either they gave birth before the advent of modern anesthesia techniques or gave birth during the time of “twilight sleep birth,” when women were given pain medication that rendered them unconscious or into such a trance that they would not remember what they went through.

In the modern world, women have more options. They can choose a natural birth, without any type of medication, or an epidural — anesthesia placed in the woman’s spinal column causing a cessation of pain below her waist. Epidurals can be a lifesaver for women who need cesarean sections and a useful tool for those with drawn out labors.

However, natural childbirth offers tremendous benefits for the laboring woman and her baby such as:

• Reduced chance of cesarean section.
• Easier time breastfeeding.
• Increased bonding between mother and infant and less separation.
• Increased participation by the mother’s partner in the birth experience.
• Increased maternal sense of accomplishment.

To read the rest of this article click here.