Touching Miracles Midwifery
Amy Camp, CPM
Meet The Midwife
I am Amy. I always wanted to be a midwife ever since I was a little girl, even before I knew what a being a midwife actually meant . Growing up my Mom had a friend who was a midwife in a small local Amish community. She was kind and gentle with wispy strands of white hair under her scarfed head. She intrigued me with her stories and I thought if I ever have a baby, I would want someone like her to be with me. That was years ago now and today I have had the privilege of being a midwife for almost twenty years, on four continents and in multiple birth settings. I have attended friend's hospital births, assisted multiple women giving birth at birthing centers but it is home births that hold the closest place in my heart. I have had the incredible privilege of caring for women and their newborns in their homes for most of the years I have practiced and it is an amazing miracle and gift every time.
Over the years I've had the opportunity to attend missionary women in Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, and Africa where birth options are limited. I also spent four months in Honduras for Spanish school and experienced an entire different culture of
birth. These women and places have increased my passion to assist mothers and to provide competent, midwifery care that meets their individual needs and desires, where ever and whoever they are. I love people and I love the women and families I get to serve.
These experiences have ultimately taught me the blessing it is to be able to give midwifery care right here in my own hometown and neighborhood, because this is my calling. Not overseas, but to my neighbor, family, friend, or stranger.
The Midwifery Model of Care,
Continuity of Care
The Midwives Model of Care
is a fundamentally different approach to pregnancy and childbirth than contemporary obstetrics. Midwifery care is uniquely nurturing, hands-on care before, during, and after birth. Midwives are health care professionals specializing in pregnancy and childbirth who develop a trusting relationship with their clients, which results in confident, supported labor and birth. While there are different types of midwives practicing in various settings, all midwives are trained to provide comprehensive prenatal care and education, guide labor and birth, address complications, and care for newborns. The Midwives Model of Care is based on the fact that pregnancy and birth are normal life events. The Midwives Model of Care includes:
-monitoring the physical, psychological and social well-being of the mother throughout the childbearing cycle
-providing the mother with individualized education, counseling, and prenatal care, continuous hands-on assistance during labor and delivery, and postpartum support
-minimizing technological interventions and identifying and referring women who require obstetrical attention
The application of this model has been proven to reduce to incidence of birth injury, trauma, and cesarean section.
Personalized Care
Women Receive Personalized Care with a Midwife
What women love is that there is more to maternity care with a midwife than checking blood pressure, fundal height, weigh and urine checks.
You will see a familiar face at each of your appointments, and you will be given adequate time to ask questions and address your concerns.
Your midwife is a specialist in pregnancy, birth and postpartum care who has designed a complete program of care to nurture healthy pregnancy, joyful birth and confident parenting.
You will receive individualize, culturally appropriate, family-centered full-scope prenatal services, and continuous care and support during labor and birth.
Your midwife will incorporate shared decision-making into your care so that you will feel informed and empowered to make good health decisions for you, your infant and your family.
Your midwife has the skills and knowledge to facilitate healthy normal childbirth, to assure comfort and safety for you and your baby, and to accommodate your family’s needs.
Your midwife has a plan for collaboration with obstetricians, pediatricians, and other specialists in the rare case where medical care for mother or your baby is needed.
You will receive nurturing postpartum care and support in your home and the midwife’s office in the weeks and months after birth as you adjust to your new baby and the changes in your family.
These are just a few of the reasons why women say they prefer maternity care with a midwife.
Safer Satisfying Care
Healthier Outcomes, Healthier Communities
The safety and benefits of midwifery care have been proven again and again in countries across the world, including the United States. World Health Organization statistics show that births attended by midwives have lower infection rates, lower Cesarean section rates, fewer complications and healthier outcomes—thus, lower overall medical costs—than physician-attended hospital births. In addition, there is no difference in infant mortality between midwife-attended and physician-attended births for low-risk women. Countries such as the Netherlands, Sweden and New Zealand, which have the best birth outcome statistics in the world, use midwives as their main maternity care providers.