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Expecting mother Clarisa Reyes, left, and midwife Anne Conquest, MSN, RN, CNM, during a routine pre-natal visit last week.
Kathleen O’Hara spent many hours in labor waiting for her first child to be born last October. But she didn’t wait alone. Every step of the way, BWH midwives provided words of encouragement, answered questions and delivered Olivia Joy, a healthy eight-pound girl.
“From beginning to end, their care was excellent,” said O’Hara, who is expecting her second child in December and is under the care of BWH midwifery again. “During my entire labor, I went through many shift changes, but the midwives never missed a beat.”
BWH salutes the Midwifery Department as it celebrates National Midwifery Week, beginning Oct. 5. O’Hara is one of more than 1,200 women in labor each year who receive outstanding care from the 20 midwives at BWH for the past 35 years.
To celebrate the week, the department is hosting a series of informational tables on the second floor mezzanine where visitors can learn more about the department. The department also plans to donate a gift box of activity books and items for pregnant women on bed rest on CWN-8.
At BWH, midwives practice full scope midwifery, which means that in addition to prenatal care and care during labor and birth, they also provide women with postpartum care, family planning and annual gynecological care in the hospital based Adolescent Clinic and the 10 community health centers in six Boston neighborhoods.
For Judy Wolberg, RN, CNM, guiding an expectant mother through the process from beginning to end is the most rewarding part of her job. And working in collaboration with the highly skilled OB team of nurses and physicians makes BWH an exciting place for midwives to practice.
“What makes me proud of my work and the work we do here every day is getting to know the many aspects of women’s lives, helping them grow and supporting them safely through what can be a stressful as well as joyful time,” said Wolberg, a practicing midwife for more than 20 years.