Nurse Midwives Made Mother’s Two Births Extra Special

While the birth of a child always feels special, Greenfield resident Linzey Gallion believes Adena Health’s midwife program took that feeling to another level. 

Linzey, 37, has received her obstetric care at Adena since she was 16 years old. When she became pregnant with her first child, Zeke, and began looking at her labor and delivery options, she learned more about the midwife program and chose that route for her care. 

“I just felt it was very personalized and, in my case, I felt more in control of my care,” she said. 

The health system’s midwife program started serving patients with just one practitioner in 2015. Now, it includes more than a half-dozen certified nurse midwives. 

Midwives provide well-woman exams, birth control services, infection checks, and education so patients can help guide their own care. In the pregnancy, labor and delivery realm, they also offer additional hands-on support for patients.  

For Linzey, their responsiveness and flexibility created a greatly enhanced patient experience. 

The circumstances surrounding her two births only served to set the stage. Both of her children – Zeke, 3, and Zane, 2 months – were born on a Friday of a full moon in the same room at Adena Regional Medical Center. With Zane, however, the partnership with midwife Shelley Davenport produced something extra special. 

Davenport suggested that since Linzey’s husband is a firefighter/EMT in Wilmington that he consider being an active participant in Zane’s delivery. He did so, with the blessed event captured in a video the couple posted for family and friends on YouTube. 

Linzey brought to the midwives’ attention prior to both of her births her desire to preserve the umbilical cord blood for stem cell use in the future if ever needed. Each of the two midwives involved with her births researched the request so they would be able to do that for her. In addition, Linzey had a close relative who works in the nursery who was able to come in for Zane’s birth and record the footprints, weight, and all of the other firsts. 

“It all came together so that the experience was very special,” Linzey said. 

The midwife experience extends beyond just labor and delivery. Before the birth of her first child, Linzey said she shared with midwife Rebecca Ulery her fear of tearing during delivery. To help Linzey prepare, Ulery was able to educate her on diet and other factors in hopes of avoiding that problem. 

That kind of education is a key part of the overall approach midwives take with their patient care, said Natasha McCoy, a certified nurse midwife at Adena since 2016. 

“That’s just part of the style of care we provide,” McCoy said. “We take a holistic approach because we have a nursing background, so we’re taking care of the whole person.”

Adena Health midwives see patients in Chillicothe, Circleville, Hillsboro, Jackson, Washington Court House, and Waverly. Schedule an appointment or learn more about Adena Women’s Health services and providers by calling 740-779-7201 or visit Adena.org/women.