New Midwifery Clinic - Jackson TN

When Heather Moore gave birth to her first child two years ago, she was under a physician's care. For her second pregnancy, she chose to go to a midwife instead.

"I really liked it when a doctor would sit down and talk with me during my pregnancy," she said. "But he didn't always do that. Sometimes he'd say 'Everything looks great,' but he wouldn't get specific."

Her midwife, Sheridan Skarl, said the difference in care between a physician and a midwife is time spent with the patient.

"It's also more cost-effective," Skarl said. Skarl is a certified nurse midwife.

Skarl works at Regional Hospital of Jackson, which recently opened Regional Midwifery Services, where Moore went for a check-up Tuesday.

Sharon Holley is another certified nurse midwife who works at the hospital. She believes in spending time with women and using each appointment as a time to educate, she said.

"A midwife works with women of all ages through all stages of life," she said. "We provide pap smears, gynecological care, birth control, pregnancy and post-partum care. We could see a woman through each stage."

Holley said one of the major differences in using a midwife for labor and delivery is that the number of Caesarean sections and other complications are lower.

About 30 percent of physician deliveries ended in Caesarean sections, while about 13 percent of midwife deliveries ended the same way, she said.

Also, midwife deliveries have fewer interventions, such as episiotomies, which enlarge the birth canal, Holley said.

Holley and Skarl do their deliveries in the hospital. Midwives nationwide either deliver in a hospital, a birth center or a patient's home, Holley said.

"The midwife approach to care is to say that pregnancy is a normal state for a woman, not an illness," she said. "With women, we want to empower them with that idea."

Skarl said more insurance companies cover the cost for midwifery services now, so the option is more widely available.

"Using a midwife allows a woman to be a part of her own pregnancy," she said. "We're here to assist, but we want their experience to be what they want it to be."

Moore, whose baby is due in a few weeks, said her second pregnancy has seemed easier with the help and instruction from Skarl. Her midwife has been helping her to maintain a good blood pressure rating and is keeping her from having too much stress.

"I like when everything is explained, and they ask how I'm doing," she said. "I feel good about this delivery."

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- Tracie Simer, 425-9629


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