About Our Services
A Woman's Health Decisions
A woman's health decisions affect both her and her family's well-being. What to eat, how to maintain good health and manage illness, when to become pregnant and care during her midlife are examples of these decisions. During pregnancy, a woman will make new choices about her diet, lifestyle and the health care she will receive during pregnancy, labor and birth. These choices affect her, her unborn child and the rest of her family.
Important decisions about health are best made with the caring advice and support of a "partner in health care," someone who helps you make educated choices. As a woman, you deserve a health care provider who offers information, assistance and support as you experience pregnancy, childbirth, parenting and menopause.
Health care partners with experience in women's health: the Certified Nurse-Midwife option
The U-M Health System offers a variety of health care providers whom you may choose to be your health care partner as you make decisions about your health. Your choice will depend on your individual health needs, personal wishes and desires for care.
Certified Nurse-Midwives are members of the Division of Women's Health and offer care for essentially healthy women throughout the life cycle. They are registered nurses who have advanced education in both midwifery and nursing. They are certified by the American College of Nurse-Midwives and are licensed as both nurses and nurse midwives by the State of Michigan.
For centuries, midwives have attended women during pregnancy and childbirth. Midwifery care is holistic in focus because it centers on the woman and includes those who are important to her.
Working together for personal care
The philosophy of U-M Health System Certified Nurse Midwives is that sexuality, pregnancy, childbearing and menopause are significant, natural events in a woman's life. We spend time listening to women and then educating them about their health. As a result, women can benefit from our experience and our personal care, which enables them to make informed decisions about their health throughout their lives.
