The Midwives Of New Jersey
Serving Women, Honoring Birth
“I want natural childbirth, but I’m nervous. I don’t know what to expect.” We hear this quite often. There is no way to fully know what labor will feel like until you are in it. It is an experience you can prepare for, but never completely predict. What you can do is prepare yourself so …
Why Avoiding the First Cesarean Matters When thinking about how and where to give birth, many families focus on the immediate experience such as pain relief options, who will be in the room, and how the baby will be cared for. But the decisions made in a first birth can have long-term consequences that stretch …
The Midwives of NJ are committed to providing safe, evidence-based care that supports natural childbirth. Heart rate monitoring is a crucial part of ensuring the baby’s well-being during labor. Intermittent auscultation (IA) is a safe and effective way to monitor baby’s heart rate during labor in low-risk pregnancies. IA involves using a hand-held Doppler ultrasound …
Many of our clients seek out the comforts of a birth center for a more natural and supportive birth experience. Birth centers are beautiful and the recovery is amazing, but let’s face it – labor can be intense. If you’re considering an out-of-hospital birth, you may wonder how you will manage labor pain effectively in the …
It is widely known that the United States’ has a maternal health crisis on its hands; maternal and newborn health outcomes are abysmal. A 2022 report by the March of Dimes found that 2.2 million women of childbearing age live in an area with almost no access to obstetric providers or birth centers. To properly …
When a new baby is on the way, we all hope and pray for the health and well-being of both mom and baby. Studies, like this one from the Burke Foundation, show that your best chance at achieving those 2 goals is having a Midwife provide your care. Midwife-led births are associated with higher rates of …
We know the top reason to choose an epidural is its amazing pain relief but do you know these other epidural facts? When you make your decision about how to manage the inevitable discomfort of a 7 pound person exiting your body from a passage as narrow as the vagina, being completely numb sounds very …
We have seen a steady increase in the number of people willing to drive away from the City for their Obstetric care. At first glance, this seems strange because everyone knows that NYC has some of the best medicine in the world. People go there for specialized care that cannot be had anywhere else in …
The preconception period is an often overlooked part of pregnancy, but it has a strong impact on the lifelong health of your baby. You can’t change your genes, but you can change how they are expressed, and that journey of gene expression begins during the preconception period. It is also the best opportunity for men …
We recently shared a birth announcement on Instagram that sparked a huge response. One of our clients had delivered her 11 lb. 7 oz baby vaginally at our birth center, and did so without complications. While stories like this may seem rare, they’re more common than you might think. At the Midwives of New Jersey, …
Staying active is a key component of a healthy pregnancy! Not only does exercise help manage pregnancy weight gain, but it boosts mood, eases anxiety and promotes good sleep (things we all need, especially these days!). Research shows that women who remain active throughout pregnancy are at lower risk of gestational diabetes and hypertensive disorders. …
Pregnancy is an uncomfortable, emotional time. There are very few truly effective remedies that are known to be very safe for the developing baby. It would be so great if pregnant women could use Marijuana to cope more effectively with the many discomforts they experience. Marijuana is legal in many places in the United States …
Pregnancy and childbirth are one of the most transformational experiences in a woman’s life. The right care provider should make you feel comfortable, supported, and heard, especially when it comes to the time spent with you during your prenatal appointments. But many pregnant women across the United States are realizing their current provider isn’t the …
How do You Decide When to Have Another Baby? Of course, the first baby is the most momentous decision but if you already have children and think you are ready for another baby, there are a few things to consider. The personal decision about child spacing is influenced by many things including: Here are 10 …
What if I Go into Labor During a Snowstorm? Although it’s pretty uncommon, a pregnant woman’s greatest fears when due in winter may be: “What if I go into labor during a snowstorm?” Despite concerns about weather, it is generally not a big problem. Typically, women tend to go into labor before a snowstorm occurs, …
Midwives of New Jersey Restricted from Providing Homebirth Services! This past summer, our physician consultants were restricted from providing back-up for homebirth clients by their new practice management company. Their concern is the doctors’ liability for the Midwives who are assisting birth in such a “dangerous” setting. We were able to secure another physician for …
One of my most frequent rants and raves is the minimal standard for excellence among the Obstetrical community. They believe that as long as mom and baby make it through the birth ALIVE, the woman should be satisfied with her care and that if she were to anticipate anything more from her pregnancy and birth …
Largest Waterbirth Study Proves it is Safe In 2017, the Midwives of New Jersey hosted the New Jersey Symposium for Physiologic Birth: 2017 The Evidence for Choice. Jennifer Vanderlaan MSN, MPH, RN CNM FNP, presented the meta-analysis, (Neonatal outcomes with water birth: A systematic review and meta-analysis) she, Dr. Priscilla Hall, and Dr. Mary Jane Lewitt have …
