Midwifery Practice

Introduction

Brigham and Women's Midwifery Group, the oldest continuous midwifery practice in Massachusetts, offers individualized, expert care to women and their families. An integral part of the Center for Women and Newborn's health care team, the group's care principle is based on the midwifery philosophy that birth is a normal process. The most recent and sophisticated medical practices are incorporated as needed. BWH midwives are certified by the American College of Nurse-Midwives and licensed by the state of Massachusetts. A hallmark of the practice is the provision of community based, accessible care to Boston's inner city neighborhoods. The nurse midwives provide continuity of care within systems that are dedicated to addressing the increasingly complex social and medical needs of these women and their communities. The midwives also specialize in the care of adolescents in the neighborhood health centers and from the BWH Adolescent Reproductive Health Service. An all female group, the practice provides prenatal, birth, postpartum and gynecology care, as well as family planning and wellness education. First-language prenatal care in Spanish, French, German and Russian is available to the practice's patients. Brigham and Women's Midwifery Group welcomes nearly 1000 babies per year at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Clients come from over 48 different countries and throughout the United States. The group provides continuous 24 hour in-hospital coverage to labor, delivery and triage and is proud of its annual cesarean section rate that is consistently below 10%. The successful VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean section) rate is 80% to 90% annually.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Brigham and Women's Midwifery group is to provide excellent quality, full scope midwifery care within the Brigham and Women's Hospital health care system. This mission includes respect for human dignity and cultural diversity. It supports each person's right to self-determination, to complete information and to active participation in all health care decisions. Our practice guidelines provide for medical consultation, collaboration and referral, and are in accordance with the Standards for the Practice of Midwifery, as defined by the American College of Nurse-Midwives. In addition, the group is actively committed to the education of students in the fields of midwifery, medicine, and nursing.