Clinical Programs / Nurse Midwives
What We Do
We provide comprehensive pregnancy, birth and postpartum care, within a midwifery framework.
Practice Location:
UCLA OBGYN Consultation Suite
200 UCLA Medical Plaza, Suite 430
Los Angeles, CA 90095
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(310) 794-4434 Information
(310) 206-4567 Patients
In addition to the standard pregnancy tests and ultrasounds, we provide an emphasis on healthy practices during your pregnancy and preparing for childbirth. We spend time getting to know you, your family, your hopes for labor and birth. You will get to know all of us, as we all share in seeing prenatal patients during the week.
A midwife is assigned daily to the labor and delivery unit. Her sole responsibility is caring for the women presenting in labor or with urgent concerns. We provide a midwifery model of care utilizing:
- Watchful waiting and non-intervention in normal processes
- Appropriate use of interventions and technology for current or potential health problems
- Consultation, collaboration and referral with other members of the health care team as needed to provide optimal health care
As a result, our caesarian section rate is 12%, and vacuum or forceps assisted delivery rate is 4%. We do induce labor in approximately 10% of labors, for reasons the family and we believe to be important; most commonly overdue pregnancies. We rarely perform episiotomies, an annual rate of 1%. In addition to caring for women, we have a unique opportunity to share our knowledge and perspective with UCLA OB/GYN residents, an energetic and enthusiastic group.
Because we work in an academic medical center, with our collaborating obstetricians and OB anesthesiologists physically present 24/7, we can care for women with some degree of complication in their pregnancy and delivery. This includes women desiring a vaginal birth after caesarian section and diet-controlled gestational diabetes.
What We Believe
Our philosophy is based on three core beliefs:
- Labor and birth are normal physiological processes
- Pregnant women and their significant others are our partners in care
- Technology should be used judiciously
We believe birth is a normal process and that what we do, as midwives, is create a safe space where you feel comfortable doing the work of birth. Michel Odent has said that women birth best where they feel safest. We strive to create that safe environment by developing a trusting relationship during the prenatal care process, providing sound, evidenced-based care and honoring women’s choices.
We are also experts at identifying when you are approaching decision points in your care. We will explain your options for intervention, the risks and benefits of each, and then together we will decide on the best choice for you, depending on the particular challenge presenting itself.
While most births will proceed without intervention, some births are more challenging than others, and in a few births medical intervention is necessary. When and if challenges do arise we will suggest interventions beginning with the most natural/least invasive. Midwifery is always practiced in a health care system that allows for consultation and referral, and UCLA provides the perfect model in that physicians are always available, if needed, to provide for that rare emergency.
All the midwives in our practice share these core midwifery beliefs and have been chosen based on their excellence in clinical practice and their dedication to providing women-focused care. We look forward to working with you.
Who We Are
We are a group of 6 midwives, with a practice based at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. We all hold master’s degrees in nursing, have passed the American College of Nurse-Midwives national certification exam and are credentailled to practice at UCLA. We have extensive experience caring for women and babies; our experience ranges from 5-30 years. Meet our team.
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