Midwifery

EvergreenHealth Midwifery Care offers you and your family a highly personalized and safe midwife delivery experience at the Family Maternity Center in Kirkland. Choose between our Kirkland and Monroe locations for your care leading up to delivery – with compassionate, experienced midwives at the location most convenient for you.

Our certified nurse-midwife deliveries offer high quality, low-intervention care in a safe and welcoming environment. Leading EvergreenHealth obstetricians are also available 24/7 for collaboration and consultation when needed, along with access to a full range of renowned pre- and post-natal services available through EvergreenHealth.

We are here to be your dedicated partner, advocate and expert through every step of your journey.

Why choose a midwife birth?

OB/GYN vs Midwife

Whether you go with an OB/GYN, doula or midwife, you should be comfortable with who you choose for your care. Suzanna Avery, CNM, with EvergreenHealth Midwifery Care, joins Check-Up Chat to clarify the differences between prenatal care providers.

Many women choose to partner with a midwife for pregnancy and birth because:

Midwives view pregnancy as a normal physiological stage; they focus on supporting the birth process and minimizing unnecessary interventions.
They help you have a healthy pregnancy and birth through education about your body and how to maximize your health during pregnancy.
Midwifery care is patient-centered; the goal is to ensure that each and every person has the birth experience they desire, whatever that means to them.
Prenatal appointments with midwives tend to be longer.
Midwives tend to spend more time by your side during labor—supporting you and watching for any health concerns.
Midwives provide access to a host of pain relief options in labor, including massage, relaxation, use of a tub and epidural anesthesia if desired.
Research indicates that women who choose a nurse-midwife have lower rates of labor induction, cesarean section and perineal trauma, along with higher rates of breastfeeding.

What is a Certified Nurse-Midwife?

The midwives of EvergreenHealth Midwifery Care are certified nurse-midwives (CNM). They have completed a university-affiliated accredited nurse-midwifery program (with a dual degree in nursing and midwifery) and passed the national certification exam.

CNMs can attend deliveries in hospitals, birth centers and homes, but 97% of births attended by CNMs occur in a hospital setting.

CNMs can prescribe medications and order diagnostic procedures when appropriate and medically indicated.