Finding out you are pregnant is often an exciting time. To help you through your pregnancy journey, you want to make sure you choose a care option that will work best for you.
Caroline Hennen is a mom to five kids. They range in age from 9 years to just over 6 months old.
For her first four pregnancies, Hennen had an OB/GYN physician.
“Then our fifth, when we found out we were pregnant, I always liked the idea of a midwife,” said Avera patient, Caroline Hennen.
At that time Avera Marshall wasn’t offering midwifery services, but that changed in July of last year.
“At about my 20 week appointment one of the OB nurses had told me that we were getting a midwife here in Marshall and I was super excited, I was like ‘when does she start,’ and they told me she started in July and so I went out after my appointment and booked the first available appointment with Amanda. So I saw the midwife at about my 30 week appointment,” said Hennen.
She met with Amanda St. Aubin, who is a certified nurse midwife at Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center.
“Midwives who work in clinics and hospitals are typically certified nurse midwives. We have a nursing background, similar to a nurse practitioner, so it’s an advanced practice nurse. We focus on low risk or moderate risk pregnancies and women’s health," said St. Aubin. Certified nurse midwives do not perform gynecologic surgeries or C-sections.
“She was wonderful, she made me feel comfortable, she gave me a lot of different tips and tricks with what my pregnancy was going to look like with a midwife versus an OB and it was all a really great experience,” said Hennen.
Together, they talked through different options of what her labor and delivery could look like.
“We talked a lot about things to do to cope with that, whether it’s positioning or using tubs or using the nitrous oxide we have available, or an epidural, and sometimes something works for a while and then it stops working and you move onto the next one,” said St. Aubin.
“It was right away at my very first appointment, we were talking about what is your ideal delivery, what is it you want to do, don’t want to do, and then she was the one who gave me those options in my prenatal visits, so when I got up to the labor and delivery floor, I had to actually ask them, but I had said ‘can I have the bouncing ball, or the peanut, or can I hang out in the bathtub for a little bit,’” said Hennen.
Additionally, midwives and physicians do work closely together.
“We collaborate very well so we work as a team and we share call, so even if you choose to see a midwife, you might still see an OB/GYN, and even if you choose to see and OB/GYN you still may see a midwife during your care because we do work collaboratively,” said St. Aubin.
So when deciding between an OB or a midwife, that is entirely your decision. But know that either way, your health is top of mind.
“I felt like the OB experiences that I’ve had with my previous four were all absolutely wonderful, I felt safe with the midwife as well as the OB, I never felt like one was going to get me a healthy baby and one wasn’t by any means, but I felt like the experience with both of them was wonderful. I just wanted to do something a little bit different being that I believe it is our last,” said Hennen.
Overall, Hennen felt like she had the support she needed throughout her pregnancy and is now enjoying their newest addition to the family.
“She is so smiley, she is just the happiest little baby, she is loved and doted on by her four siblings, doesn’t get a chance to lie on the ground and do her own thing because everyone is picking her up but she is rolling over and just a great addition,” said Hennen.
Avera offers a variety of women’s care and birthing options at many locations.
