Kay: Jill, what made you decide to become a nurse midwife?

Jill:   It was truly a God-directed thing for me. I’ve always enjoyed caring for people. After high school, several things fell into place for me to go nursing school. During my last year, I had the chance to shadow a midwife for a week. It was really awesome to see the relationship she had built with those women. That experience stuck with me.

After I graduated, I worked as a medical/surgical nurse at a hospital for a short time before transferring to maternity services. I really enjoyed it, but I knew I wanted to help women not just when they’re in the hospital. I wanted to see them day in and day out — to build relationships and help guide them in making good decisions, while caring for themselves and their families. That’s why I went back to nursing school to become a certified nurse midwife. I wanted to be in a position to empower women.

Kay:  Is midwifery care becoming more popular these days?

Jill:  I think women are learning that pregnancy and childbirth are normal, healthy processes for which a woman’s body is well-designed. Yet each woman’s experience is unique. Some women are interested in water birth. Others prefer having a birth ball, shower, or rocking chair close by. And many simply want all of their relatives by their bedside. More and more mothers-to-be are having babies their way, with the help of a midwife who is there to do as much or as little as the woman wants.

Kay: Midwifery has been around for centuries, yet there are misperceptions about it. What ones do you encounter most often?

Jill:   I wish the general public knew that nurse midwives do not only deliver babies at home. They also deliver babies at the hospital and in birth centers. Most people are surprised to find out I work at a health center and deliver babies at a hospital.

Kay: What other misperceptions come to mind?

Jill:   Midwifery care is a safe option for women, especially for those who want to be cared for by someone who views birth as a natural process.

CNMs are nurses first. I went through four years of training to become a nurse, then went back to school for extra training focused specifically on labor and delivery, before and after childbirth care and OB/GYN. We are certified by the American Midwifery Certification Board. At HealthNet, we are credentialed by the hospital and work side-by-side with OB/GYNs. We view things more naturally, but when we need to intervene for the health of the mom or baby, we will.

Kay: There’s been a lot of talk in the news about the national Caesarean section rate being on the uptick, and how that may not be the best thing. What are your thoughts about it?

Jill:   In the 1960s, the national c-section rate was approximately 5%. These days, it hovers around 30%. I feel like we as midwives are helping to reverse that trend.

A woman’s due date is really just an estimation. In general, we wait until 10 days past the due date to induce labor. In most cases there needs to be a medical reason to induce sooner. When a woman goes into labor on her own, the labor usually goes more quickly and smoothly. Often times when you introduce medicines to speed up the process the woman’s body isn’t ready yet or the baby is not able to tolerate it well. Anytime you give the body the chance to do it on its own, it will go a lot better than trying to force it.

Kay:  You are expecting your second baby soon. Did being a nurse midwife change your outlook on your own birth experience?

Jill:   Absolutely! It really made me look at my own pregnancy and labor very differently. I had my first child naturally. He was a big baby too — 9 lbs. 3 oz.! I like being able to share appropriately from my personal experience to encourage moms who are considering natural childbirth.

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HealthNet Midwifery Services is the largest midwifery practice in the state, assisting in the birth of more than 2,400 babies each year at IU Health Methodist. The program’s 24 nurse midwives work with the OB/GYN physicians on staff to provide prenatal care, postpartum care, well-woman care, family planning and more for women at HealthNet’s six community health centers and one OB/GYN care center. The program celebrates its 20^th year this year.

Lisa Glazik has been working for HealthNet for over 6 years.  She started out working in different centers during the week but now she is stationed at the hospital downton.  And, from one quick phone call she made me happy to boast about HealthNet’s Midwives!

Willie: Lisa, why did you become a Nurse Midwife?

Lisa: I was always interested in women’s health.  When I had the chance to start shadowing other nurses in OB programs while at Illinois, I noticed that they were missing out on a BIG piece of a woman’s pregnancy, THE BIRTH! To spend almost an entire pregnancy with a patient and to not be in the room for that special moment made me feel as if I’d be missing on some closure in the process.

Willie: What is the most satisfying part of your job?

Lisa: Being a part of that special moment.  Seeing the culmination of teaching a mother about pregnancy, what to expect and healthy lifestyle choices is very rewarding.

Willie: What is the biggest challenge you face when dealing with a patient?

Lisa: When someone comes to us uneducated about healthy lifestyle choices, it makes it really hard to get them to make new ones.  Change is hard for EVERYONE, but learning about the changes that need to be made can be even harder.  It is a challenge to get the new information to sink in when a patient already has set habits.  But it is awesome to see them succeed!

Willie: What do you all do to celebrate National Midwifery Week?

Lisa: The fall brings a slower period, so we usually plan a retreat day for ALL of us to get together, relax, but also learn from what has been happening all year.  This year, however, we couldn’t plan it until November. 

I like Midwifery Week, though, because I get a lot of questions directed my way about what exactly a midwife does.  I enjoy educating others, even some IN health care, and dispelling some of the old stereotypes that some may have about midwives.

Willie: If you could sum up your goal, in one sentence, to make sure a pregnancy is a success, what would it be?

Lisa: I would tell the mother-to-be, “Your birth experience is YOURS, I am here to give you THAT experience in the best way possible with a healthy mom and a healthy child as an end result.”

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To learn more about Nurse Midwives at HealthNet, stay tuned to our Twitter feed and Facebook page to get statistics and tidbits all week!