Pictured from left to right: Cathy Staats, Cadence Staats, Certified Nurse-Midwife Donna Lofton, and Aaron Staats. Cadence was born at the Family Birthing Center with Donna's support.

You can have the best of both worlds at Washington County Hospital’s Family Birthing Center: the physician expertise and technological support available in the hospital setting, along with the experience and support of a certified midwife.

Midwives have a long and rich tradition of helping women through childbirth. They provide physical and emotional support for each woman’s unique childbirth experience. For women who have a low risk of complication, using the services of a midwife can be an excellent choice.

At the core of the midwife philosophy is the view that the birth process is a normal, natural, healthy life event. Midwives are committed to providing compassionate, family-centered care that is culturally appropriate, respects the individual’s dignity, and encourages active participation in decision-making.

They provide pregnant women with comprehensive prenatal care, including referrals for appropriate testing. They manage the healthcare of mothers and newborns in the immediate postpartum period.

However, today’s midwives not only care for a woman through her pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum experiences, they offer more general gynecologic care. This includes annual physical exams, Pap smears, breast exams, preventive care and cancer screening, management of common illnesses, and menopause counseling and care.

Outcomes for midwife-assisted births are comparable to those for physician assisted low-risk births, making this a very safe option for natural childbirth. Washington County Hospital’s midwives are certified nurse-midwives, meaning that they are both registered nurses and graduates of an accredited midwifery education program. In addition, collaborating physicians for the midwife provide consultation and assistance if needed, giving families the reassurance of comprehensive collaborative care.

For over twenty years, midwives have been part of the hospital's tradition of quality care for the women of this community.