Nurse Midwives
There are many different educational pathways to becoming a midwife and many places where midwives practice. Knowing these choices will help women determine who they want to attend them during their birth. http://www.mothersnaturally.org/

A CERTIFIED NURSE MIDWIFE (CNM)
A nurse who has received advanced training to care for women from their teen years throughout their life including pregnancy and birth, and to care for infants until one year of age. This license is granted through the American Medical Association and the individual’s state so you are assured a minimum level of knowledge. Most CNM’s practice in a hospital under the direction of a physician but the license is independent and a CNM can practice independently, referring to a physician as needed. A CNM has prescriptive privileges and can prescribe all medications including pain management and antibiotics. He/she can order tests and interpret results. Thus a CNM can care for common health problems effectively and a woman can feel confident that all her needs are cared for.

http://www.mymidwife.org/

A DIRECT ENTRY MIDWIFE
May be licensed or not, thus the designation LDEM or DEM. Their educational pathways can be diverse so licensure can give you a greater assurance of skill level. There is a national certifying body that a DEM may or may not choose to credential with. http://www.narm.org/ Many LDEM’s are highly skilled practitioners in obstetrics (pregnancy and birth only). A DEM can be a wonderful choice for women’s birth options. A DEM in Utah can practice in a woman’s home or in an unlicensed birth center.

http://www.mana.org/

A LAY MIDWIFE
is generally considered to be educated through non-formal pathways such as apprenticeship and her skill level may be highly variable.

http://www.midwiferytoday.com/

http://www.cfmidwifery.org/

 

Becky McInnis, CNM
(Certified Nurse Midwife)

I have my degree in Nursing from the University of Texas, and my Nurse Midwifery degree from the Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing in Kentucky - the oldest Nurse Midwifery program in the United States.

I have extensive background in out-of-hospital births, having my own home-birth practice as a "traditional midwife" for ten years. Now I provide for women and families desiring birth center birth and tender care for all women and newborns.

I love nurse midwifery and caring for women in all aspects of their lives. I have a great respect for the strength of women and families. Some families want more out of their experience of birth. I believe that having a natural birth in a birth center empowers women and bonds families. I am honored to be present when a family chooses this option. I also honor the human body for its ability to heal itself in most instances if we are only aware and assist its course. I have extensive knowledge in alternative and natural healing treatments and off this information to my clients.

Jessica A. Nelson, CNM
(Certified Nurse Midwife)

I have been a midwife for the last eleven years. I got my start as a direct-entry midwife in Salt Lake, providing care for women choosing home births. I decided to return to school and completed the nurse-midwifery program at Yale University. I then worked for over 3 years at an Indian Health Service hospital on the Navajo Nation in northern Arizona. I am very pleased to be joining the practice at Women and Birth Care.

It is a privilege to work with women on their journeys of health and wellness and during childbirth. I am always amazed by the strength of women as they meet and overcome the challenges of the birth process. What an extraordinary honor to be present during that time!