“My midwife was there through pregnancy, labor and birth.”
HealthEast Clinics Nurse-Midwife patient Bridey Asher

“My first visit to a midwife left such an impression on me,” said Bridey Asher, mother of three. “I was pregnant with my first child, had my list of questions about what was important to me, and I was so happy because the midwife came in the room, sat down, put down her pencil, folded her hands and said, ‘Hi, how are you?’ I felt like I had all the time in the world to ask questions, and that finally, I had found what I was looking for.”

Bridey’s search for the right fit for her first child’s birth turned into a partnership that has seen her through three pregnancies — and three healthy deliveries. “Before I was pregnant, a friend had invited me to be with her during her birth,” said Bridey, “My friend delivered her baby naturally, with a minimum of interventions, and it opened my mind to this possibility — there are so many more choices than I realized we had.”

In researching the available options, Bridey and her husband decided to try a water birth, and realized that a nurse-midwife was the right person to help. “I saw all the midwives in the practice during my pregnancy,” said Bridey, “and I knew they were willing to support me and what I wanted to do. And the day I went to St. Joe’s in labor, they had the water tub ready for me, they got me in, and the pain literally was cut more than in half. My midwife Julia was with my husband and me the whole time. I never felt pushed to do anything — at any point, she gave me my options and told me the grand scheme of things, and I never felt like I had to worry or make a decision alone.”

After a memorable first birth, Bridey chose to use nurse-midwives again for her second baby — and for her third. “My second baby was 10 pounds, 9 ounces. It was a more difficult labor, and looking back, we were so thankful to have the backup of the hospital in addition to Mary Kempf, my midwife. So by the point we were having our third, it was just me hanging out with Mary again, there in the water tub. Each of my deliveries were totally different experiences, and honestly, created friendships with my midwives. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Offering support, at your side: Mary Kempf, Nurse-Midwife

After 10 years as a labor and delivery nurse and then eight years as a nurse-midwife, Mary Kempf can sum up the birthing experience in very simple terms: “Babies come in their own time.” However, with a full array of options to offer the patients in her practice, Mary does give expectant mothers a greater sense of participation in their pregnancies.

“From their first visit, I’m an advocate for my patients. The norm for us is a nonmedicated, low-intervention birth. But we also have drugs, and we’re not afraid to use them — appropriately, of course. All the interventions of a hospital, such as an epidural, are available — but that doesn’t mean she has to use them,” said Mary.

The HealthEast nurse-midwives cite an epidural use rate of 35% and an episiotomy rate of about 8%, low compared to other practices in town. “If a mother wants an epidural during delivery, I’ll help them get it. Or for other people, who might want a water birth, or to use aromatherapy or other complementary therapies for an unmedicated birth, I can help as well.”

Mary sees her practice as a partnership: a working relationship between midwife and a woman in labor. Take, for instance, her experience with Bridey’s second and third births. “Bridey’s first delivery was a relatively easy water birth. With her second child, she planned a water birth as well, but because of some concerns during delivery, we quickly had to change plans to deliver on the bed,” Mary recalled. “And since we were at the hospital, we had a neonatal nurse practitioner, extra nurses and a physician backup if we needed them.”

As a result, during Bridey’s third pregnancy, midwife and mother worked together to identify what they could do to avoid concerns for the next child’s birth. “I tell women, every pregnancy is different, every baby is different, every labor is different. In Bridey’s case, we both knew we’d just join forces and do whatever was safest for her and the baby.” In the end, Bridey’s third baby was delivered as an unmedicated water birth, in perfect health.

“‘Midwife’ means ‘with woman’ — and that’s most evident during labor when we’re helping a mother through the entire process,” commented Mary. “What we hear most from women is that the teaching we do — everything from prenatal care to coaching during labor to planning for post-partum at home — pulls it all together. We really want to take care of the woman, not just the pregnancy.”