Here's a look at our Philosophy and our Statistics

The term 'midwife' for centuries has meant 'being with women in childbirth'. We are still with women in childbirth but our role has expanded to care for women of all ages and our philosophy has grown to encompass the following points.

• Nurse-midwives strive to support normal,
  healthy processes while minimizing unnecessary and unhealthy interventions through a women's lifespan from puberty to birthing, through menopause and beyond.
• Nurse-midwives place emphases on health maintenance & disease prevention.
• Nurse-midwives tend to spend more time with women both at office visits and during childbirth than the average physician. Spending more time with women allows us to listen and provide the support that is best for each individual woman.
• Nurse-midwives believe that excellent health care results from a partnership. We work to educate and empower women to make their own informed choices about their health care.
• Nurse-midwives view birth as a natural process which often requires no intervention, but understand that in some situations the use of technology may offer safer or preferred options in birth as well as in other phases of a women's life.
• Nurse midwives support breastfeeding and many have extensive experience with breastfeeding and resources to assist with breastfeeding.
• Nurse-midwives encourage choices and self-determination regarding the health care that is right for a women and her family..
• Nurse-midwives believe in working collaboratively with other healthcare providers to provide the best care for a women and her family.

Statistics

• Nurse-midwifery care is associated with lower rates of infant mortality and fewer low birth weight babies.
• Nurse-midwifery care is associated with lower rates of interventions and medical procedures, like labor inductions, epidurals, and episiotomies.
• Nurse-midwifery care is associated with lower rates of cesarean section.
• Nurse-midwifery care is associated with lower costs of health care because of fewer technological interventions and shorter hospital stays.
• Nurse-midwives attend over 11% of vaginal deliveries in the US in 2005 and 19.6% of Maine births in 2004.
• source: ACNM 2001 Evidence for Nurse-midwifery Care