Choosing a Midwife for Your Birth

You have a lot of options when it comes to how you’ll give birth. One of the most important decisions you’ll make is choosing a health care professional to deliver your baby.

At Norton Healthcare, we believe in providing you with the care you want and the care you may need. Choosing a midwife for your care is becoming more and more popular — that’s why we employ certiﬁed nurse midwives (CNM), highly trained nurse practitioners who are board certiﬁed in midwifery.

Why Choose a Midwife?

Modern-day midwives provide care to women of all ages for obstetric and gynecological care. But their main focus is on women in their childbearing years, and may place an emphasis on natural childbirth without pain management or alternative birth plans. However, it’s a common misconception that midwives only oversee natural births. If you’re expecting and would like to use pain management such as epidural or nitrous oxide, you can still choose a midwife for your care.

What Can You Expect From a Midwife?

A midwife gives holistic support during labor and natural childbirth.
A midwife educates on family planning, pregnancy and birthing options.
A midwife can work with you to create a birth plan that’s individualized for your needs.
Certified nurse midwives can deliver babies.
A midwife provides care to you after baby arrives, during all stages of your life, not just for your pregnancy.

What to Expect from Norton Women’s Care

More mothers in Louisville and Southern Indiana choose to deliver their babies at Norton Hospital or Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital than with any other hospital system in the area.

We deliver more than 8,000 babies a year. We’re close to you with more than 90 providers at more than 25 locations around Louisville and Southern Indiana. Choosing Norton Women’s Care gives you many options for how delivery day could go — all with the confidence of knowing that our obstetrics and pediatric specialists are there to help. With Norton Women’s Care, you’ll find:

The birth experience you want: You can choose natural childbirth, a midwife, labor tub, nitrous oxide and other birthing options. We’ll recommend a C-section (cesarean section) or induced labor only if it’s medically necessary.
Preparation: Our specialists offer the support you need, including free Lamaze and other childbirth classes, new parent classes, breastfeeding support, child safety classes and more.
Confidence and quality in care: Norton Women’s Care has been recognized as High Performing — the highest rating available — for maternity care with fewer complications and C-sections, plus breastfeeding support and other benefits.
We offer the highest-level (Level IV) neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Louisville and Southern Indiana at Norton Children’s Hospital, and a sophisticated Level III NICU at Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital.
Around-the-clock OB/GYN care is available at Norton Hospital and Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital emergency departments.
Our board-certified maternal-fetal medicine specialists can help guide you through a high-risk pregnancy, from treating preexisting diabetes in the pregnant patient to a fetal echocardiogram to diagnose a congenital heart condition before a baby is born.
Medicare, Medicaid and most major commercial insurance plans are accepted.
Convenient access to your medical record: Communicate with your health care provider, get lab results, renew prescriptions and more through your free Norton MyChart account.