Midwives Provide Empowering Approach to Women’s Healthcare
Prairie du Chien, WI –Women face unique healthcare challenges in each decade of life; adjusting to changes as a teen, handling stress and family life in their 20s and 30s, managing hormones in their 40s and beyond. Terri Payne, Molly Schlegel, and Katy Maker, the team of Board-certified Nurse Midwives at Crossing Rivers Health Clinic, provide a safe woman-centered, empowering approach to care delivery. They do this for women in every decade of life - from the teenage years, childbearing years, midlife transitions and beyond.
Board-certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs) are registered nurses who have graduated from a nurse midwifery education program accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Midwifery Education and have passed a national certification examination to receive the professional designation of certified nurse-midwife. Nurse midwives have been practicing in the United States since the 1920s. Over time, the midwife role has expanded to include gynecological and primary care for women.
While most women are familiar with the role of today’s CNM in providing prenatal and obstetrical care, many may not realize that a CNM also provides routine primary and gynecological care. A CNM is trained and licensed to provide a far broader spectrum of services than pre- and post-natal care, and many women are now choosing to use CNMs as their primary healthcare provider throughout their childbearing years and well past menopause.
Terri Payne, Crossing Rivers Health Certified Nurse Midwife and Family Nurse Practitioner states, “One of the highlights and rewards of rural health care are the relationships you build with families.” As a Family Nurse Practitioner, Terri offers a broad range of services from providing healthcare that includes before, during and after childbirth to performing comprehensive medical care for any one and for all ages. Terri sees patients at both Crossing Rivers Health Clinic locations in Prairie du Chien and Fennimore, Wisconsin.
Molly Schlegel, CNM and Advanced Practice Nurse Practitioner (APNP), and Katy Maker, CNM, offer a broad range of women’s health services including obstetrics, prenatal, and postnatal care; care of newborn, birth through one month; gynecological care; family planning; and a holistic approach to women’s health and wellness from puberty through menopause.
“I am passionate about women’s health and enjoy providing care throughout the lifespan,” shares Molly. “I enjoy empowering women to be the change they want to see in their healthcare. As a partner in their healthcare, I provide women with an integrative approach that encompasses modern technology, complementary therapies, and shared decision making during some of the most important moments in their lives.”
“Midwife means ‘with woman’,” adds Katy. “We take care of young women for sports physicals and wellness exams. We provide education on their developing body, contraception, and safe life choices. We provide pre-conception care, for families that are trying to conceive and, when a woman is expecting, we provide pre-natal care, along with delivery and post-partum care for moms. We also continue to provide well-woman care beyond pregnancy, such as ordering mammograms and menopausal care.”
A trusting and open relationship with your provider is key to optimal health and wellness. To learn more about the Board-Certified Nurse Midwife team at Crossing Rivers Health, visit crossingrivers.org/midwife or call the Crossing Rivers Health Clinic at 608.357.2500.
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