In case you're wondering what a midwife is exactly (I also highlighted some things to remember):
A Certified Nurse Midwife is licensed and registered by a State Board of Midwifery. In order to obtain these credentials a person must complete a nursing program and then continue with graduate studies specifically in the field of Midwifery. Midwifery education consists of the complete knowledge
of the female reproductive system. They are taught to diagnose and treat (including writing prescriptions). After their schooling, a graduate Nurse Midwife must pass a
national exam (their "boards" if you will). Relative to
their role in the health care system, they receive as
stringent an education as a physician only not in
the medical school tract. In fact, Ivy League schools such as Columbia and Yale University have Midwifery programs.A Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) is able to care for the essentially healthy women for her obstetrical and gynecological care. She can render complete prenatal, intrapartum and post partum care as well as the diagnosis and treatment of the many common gynecological problems that affect women. In fact, Midwives manage women in all areas of their OB/GYN health including annual exams, pap smears, birth control, hormone replacement, infertility, and, of
course, all aspects of pregnancy and delivery. Midwives do not do surgery and they do not manage high risk problems. They work within a collegial relationship with a physician with whom she can consult or refer a patient. By law, a Midwife must have a physician to back her up. Once a person receives their credentials, their personal style can take many forms.
The most well known are the Midwives who do home births. In this environment, a Midwife has the ability to assist a
couple through the birthing process in a natural and comfortable milieu. It gives the Midwife the freedom to implement a total non-interventionist philosophy.
To the other extreme, and I believe the least known form of
practice, is the Midwife who chooses to mainstream. They are educated with the non-interventionist philosophy and incorporate that core education with a more expanded approach to providing care. These Midwives work in hospital settings (this is where Lisa works). They can be employed in the Midwifery department of a hospital, or like a physician, they work in private practices and are privileged to attend deliveries in the hospital.
Like the home birth Midwife, they utilize such techniques as talking to, walking with, massaging, medicating and showering the laboring patient to help decrease her discomfort. The hospital birth Midwife also has the availability (when she needs to use them) to benefit from modern technology such as fetal monitors, ultrasound, lab analysis and emergency equipment/personnel.I went and met Lisa last Thursday and she was GREAT! She has hospital privileges and I can still deliver there but I think she will offer everything I'm looking for. She started as a regular nurse, than became a Labor & Delivery nurse and has been a midwife now for 16 years! She's delivered over 1000 babies. If I should happen to need a c-section she will call for one of the "on-call" docs to perform it but she will be there assisting. If I don't get an epidural she can provide labor support (as described above) and she will be there for ALL of the pushing, not just the baby catching. I will have my 37 and 38 week appointments with her while my doctor is on vacation. When she saw me at my 31 week appointment I was measuring 34 almost 35 weeks pregnant. Ive already gained 25 pounds and my back is feeling every bit of it. Thank goodness for pregnancy massage and good insurance that covers it!
Along with their new independence of toddler beds and the little tikes table for meals & snacks, we got a new step stool! Here are the babies standing up at the kitchen island. They love it. They are able to see what I'm doing and they also like standing at the sink to wash their hands :) 
