BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — Erin Felt, a certified nurse midwife at Saltzer Health, took time toanswer questions people are asking about what's involved with the position.
"It's definitely an honor to be part of it every day. It's kind of crazy that's my job," said Erin. You don't have to be around her long to realize how much she enjoys being a certified nurse midwife.
Erin has been working for Saltzer Health since 2020. She is passionate about helping families.
"The importance of being there and the honor of being there is really exciting...I love my job so much."
For Erin, walking the halls of Saltzer Health Intermountain Healthcare is a privilege, and that's because she gets to provide care to Idaho families.
"We're able to give pregnancy care, labor and birth attendance and postpartum care."
Erin and her coworkers say their goal is to respect the woman's body while caring for the baby.
"Women attended by midwives have lower cesarean rates, lower infant morbidity, lower pre-term births, they have less severe tearing, less use of epidural and overall clients are more satisfied with the quality of care they are given."
She says they are less likely to intervene and do an induction without a medical reason.
"That's in part due to the time we spend. We have more time for education and hands-on support throughout the pregnancy and birth process."
When challenges do come up, Erin says patients can continue to work with a certified nurse midwife.
"If complications arise either during pregnancy or the labor and birth process, sometimes depending on what's going on, the client can continue to be solely with a midwife provider."
Erin says she and her team members at Saltzer Health have good relationships with their colleagues resulting in quality care when a trip to the operating room is necessary.
"All the midwives here are trained to be first assists in the OR, so we go back there with our primary surgeon and lower the drape and the baby goes directly skin to skin, even in that OR setting."
And that high-quality care goes beyond the labor and delivery process.
"A lot of people think of pregnancy care when they hear midwives, but we actually do primary care, preventative care, we do annual well-woman exams, pap smears, immunizations, prescriptions...We're able to see women with gynecologic, menopausal, or menstrual concerns. We're also able to do family planning with IUDs and other forms of birth control."
If you're considering working with a certified nurse midwife, Erin and her coworkers at Saltzer Health Intermountain Healthcare will answer any of your questions.
They also have resources available here.
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