Midwifery Care

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South Shore Health's highly-skilled, board-certified nurse midwives provide a personalized pregnancy and birth experience for every woman.

Our nurse midwives can care for most expectant mothers throughout their pregnancy, collaborating with OB/GYNs or maternal-fetal medicine experts when necessary. When it’s time to give birth at South Shore Hospital, your midwife will help you through the experience, including working with you to manage your pain—either non-medicinally or with the help of pain medicine or an epidural.

If you need additional assistance during birth, your midwife will stay with you, whether you need a caesarian birth or attention from an OB physician. Should your baby need medical attention, southeastern Massachusetts’ only Level III NICU is just down the hall.

If you would like more information regarding midwifery care, please register for a Meet the Midwives event.

Get answers to some frequently asked questions about midwifery care below.

Yes. Certified Nurse Midwives have a degree in nursing as well as a master’s degree. Midwives can provide expert care to a woman during any stage of life, including gynecological exams and screenings, as well as primary and newborn care.

Not at all! Our midwives partner with patients to determine a plan that fits each woman’s vision for childbirth. Midwives understand that each person’s level of pain is unique and they provide expert knowledge in how to best cope with pain during labor—both medicinally and non-medicinally.

Massachusetts law requires that private insurance companies pay for services provided by a Certified Nurse Midwife. Medicaid requires that this care be covered in all states. However, it’s best to call your insurance company to confirm if your plan covers midwifery care.

Your midwifery experience may be different than that of a woman with a low-risk pregnancy. In your case, a midwife may help co-manage your pregnancy in collaboration with an OB/GYN. For example, a midwife may be able to meet with you for some prenatal appointments. Feel free to call us to discuss how a midwife can play a role in your pregnancy and childbirth experience.

If you would like midwifery care for your prenatal visits and during the labor and birth of your baby, you may request midwife care at any of your office visits. If you have seen an obstetrician or nurse practitioner in the office throughout your pregnancy, you may still request midwifery care for your labor and birth. Please let your OB or nurse practitioner know your preference during one of your office visits so that they can make a note in your chart.