The Role of Midwives

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Pregnancy and child birth are life changing processes for families.

Expectant mothers form a bond with their doctors but when a midwife is involved, there’s a different kind of relationship.

A midwife is a trained professional who supports women to maintain healthy pregnancies among other things.

“Labor and delivery was not fun at all either but of course the outcome is good so it’s worth the long haul,” says Megan Kraft.

Megan Kraft of Bismarck has one daughter. She relives her difficult pregnancy and birthing experience in which she didn’t have a midwife by her side.

“I think it would be nice to kind of have somebody else kind of on your team so to speak in the delivery room because I think men don’t really understand. You know my husband was wonderful don’t get me wrong,” says Kraft.

One of those teammates is Denise Powell. And for her, midwifery was a calling.

“I’ve wanted to be a midwife since I was 17 years old. I knew that I wanted to be a nurse and then my mom is a nurse and worked in women’s health and I was always really fascinated by that. I’ve always thought child bearing was really interesting,” says Denise Powell, a Certified Nurse Midwife at Essentia.

She has dedicated her life to making the lives of other women easier.

“Those relationships that you form when you’re going through your pregnancy, I think one of the anchors that people use through that labor process,” she says.

But not all women get to experience that relationship.

Just over 10 percent of births in the U.S. are attended by midwives.

Fortunately for women in the valley, Essentia has midwives on staff and it’s the only provider that does.

“In general, midwives are a perfect candidate for any woman who’s having a normal, low-risk pregnancy,” says Powell.

After following women throughout their entire pregnancy, there’s one moment that means the most.

“You know being part of that first moment when a mom and dad see their baby for the first time and have that joy in their eyes and sometimes dads cry and moms cry and everybody’s welcoming that baby. And that’s a very precious, private, special moment that I get invited into,” Powell says.

Midwives don’t just care for pregnant women. They work with women throughout their lifetime from adolescence all the way through menopause.

For more information, head to www.essentiahealth.org.