We offer 20-minute appointments to new pregnancy patients. It’s a great way for you to ask questions and learn about our approach to childbirth. We can get to know you, your hopes and your concerns for your pregnancy and birth. Call 503-418-4500 to schedule.

We talk with you about your wishes and what’s important to you as your labor and delivery unfold. These priorities go into your birth preferences plan. The plan can be added to your chart. It guides everyone on your care team when you arrive to have your baby.

Your plan might include:

• Your choices about who should be there to support you.
• How you’d like to set up the birthing suite.
• Whether you want pain medication and, if so, what kind and when it should be offered.
• What labor aids — such as birthing balls or heating pads — you might use.
• What kind of care you’d like after your baby is born.

You’ll find gentle care across your life span, including:

• Unhurried annual exams
• A full range of screening tests
• Treatment for abnormal Pap tests
• Evaluation and treatment of vaginal and sexually transmitted infections
• Sensitive care for sexual concerns
• Family planning advice, including putting in IUDs and implants
• Natural and conventional treatments for symptoms of menopause
• Screening for bone loss
• Referral to other OHSU departments as needed

This combines your pregnancy care with a discussion and support group. You can expect:

• In-depth health and pregnancy education.
• More time with our midwives.
• A supportive community of other pregnant women.

Learn more about our group prenatal care.

Our certified nurse-midwives strongly support vaginal birth after cesarean. We offer:

• A high success rate: About 80% of the women who try a VBAC with our nurse-midwives achieve their goal.
• Compassionate care: Past birth experiences can have a profound effect on your health. We welcome an open discussion with you.
• A safe setting: You will have access to all the excellent medical resources at OHSU.

Learn more about VBAC at OHSU.

Women with a low-risk pregnancy can choose to labor and/or give birth in a tub of heated water set up right in the birthing suite. We have more than 20 years of experience supporting women with normal pregnancies through water birth.

Learn more about having a water birth with an OHSU nurse-midwife.

We will discuss all your pain relief options with you and then support you in your decisions. We offer a wide range of options, including:

• Water therapy, with a jetted tub and shower in every room
• Relaxation techniques
• Guided breathing
• Walking, moving and changing positions
• Using birth balls or stools
• Nitrous oxide (laughing gas)
• IV pain medications
• Epidurals and spinal blocks

We offer advice on what to eat during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. If you have gestational diabetes or other concerns, we will refer you to a registered dietitian. Our trained professionals can help you make an eating plan that’s healthy for you and your baby.

Learn more about nutrition during pregnancy.

We provide referrals to advanced testing and counseling at OHSU, including:

• Genetic testing and counseling, for conditions such as Down syndrome or spina bifida.
• Ultrasound, done by a doctor or nurse-midwife who will explain the procedure.
• Mental health care with compassionate Center for Women’s Health providers.

This statement is one small way to show our commitment to equity and anti-racism. We know that a statement alone is not enough. The experience of our BIPOC patients and their health outcomes are the true measure of our success. 

We believe that centering our clients by building relationships and making shared decisions with them promotes health. We believe every person deserves access to midwifery care. We believe that our role as midwives is both to provide that care and to work to change the health care system so everyone has access to patient-centered midwifery care. 

We know that health care systems do not treat people of all races equally. This unequal treatment leads to poor health outcomes, especially in BIPOC communities. For pregnant people, this can lead to a higher risk of preterm birth, low birth-weight and death. We work and learn in systems built on white supremacy. They center white bodies and white voices. Racism, not race, is the real cause of the high rate of death during childbirth for Black people and of unfair access to abortion care.

We promise to create a space where patients feel welcomed, represented, supported and safe. We promise to provide care that is culturally affirming and respectful. We understand the dynamics of power and privilege, and promise to help create a system that lifts up the voices and improves outcomes for BIPOC people. 

We write this as a group of mostly white-presenting nurse-midwives. We as individuals are working to dismantle our own white supremacy. We also know that we must change our midwifery team to reflect those we serve. We are examining our hiring practices through a racial equity lens and listening to our BIPOC patients’ concerns and needs.

We know that the history of racism in gynecologic care affects the experience of our BIPOC patients today. We promise to provide trauma-informed and gender-respectful care to all patients. Anti-racism is a practice. We are committed to this work.