Women’s Excellence in Midwifery isn’t your mother’s pregnancy care center.
Nor is it your great-grandmother’s. In fact, you have never seen anything quite like it.
Situated at 1406 S. Lapeer Road, the Women’s Excellence center of Midwifery opened its doors Feb. 4, with an Orion Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting on Feb. 13.
‘What you get is the best of both worlds,? said certified nurse midwife Tracie Achrem.
Before hospitals were introduced, midwives were common. They were apprenticed through other women to give birth at home. But with the advent of pain management, childbirth became the purview of doctors, typically male.
Fast-forward to 2013.
Women’s Excellence in Midwifery offers a holistic, non-problem oriented pregnancy management approach. Specialized nurse practitioners with advanced accreditation in midwifery are available and waiting to make your pregnancy as trouble-free as possible.
What makes the model at Women’s Excellence better than a traditional birth are the ‘midwives who spend the extra time with you, [to] give you all the information to allow you to make careful choices for you and your family throughout your pregnancy.?
Achrem said women crave information about what is occurring over their entire gestational period. To counter the fear borne of not knowing, the midwives at Women’s Excellence partner with the expectant mother to inform her what is occurring as she progresses through her pregnancy.
‘If you inform women, and you allow them to make the best choice based on upon all the information you can provide them, what a difference that makes throughout the whole process,? Achrem said.
Unlike many perfunctory appointments with an obstetrician, the first appointment will run an hour at Women’s Excellence in Midwifery, with subsequent appointments at least 30 minutes, Achrem said.
This is an advantage because an educated mother encounters a much lower level of fear and is better prepared in the latter stages of the pregnancy, Achrem said. This leads to a lower need for C-sections, for example, and thus a lower risk to the life of the mother and newborn.
Dr. Zaidan began his practice in the late 1990s. In 2009, he rebranded his offices as the Women’s Excellence centers and differentiated his efforts into specializations like robotic surgery, menopause, endometriosis, and now midwifery.
‘It’s a pleasure to offer the option of a midwife to our patients. I have seen the trends of expecting moms wanting a less interventional pregnancy experience, and the addition of midwives to our practice meets those needs,? Zaidan said.
With a Women’s Excellence midwife you get a master’s prepared and board certified advanced birth practitioner. These midwives are trained and certified by the state of Michigan, and are recognized as providers through the credentialing process.
Most insurance providers recognize midwifery, so coverage shouldn’t be an issue, Achrem said.
‘To me mid-wivery means being with women,? Achrem said. ‘For those women who’ve had a bad experience, we say ‘look there is a way to have a home-like experience that’s safe in a hospital setting.??
Women’s Excellence in Midwifery seeks to bring old wisdom to a modern age and hopes to eliminate fear by returning women to an understanding and acceptance of all stages of pregnancy.
For more information about the Women’s Excellence Center in Midwifery, visit their website centerofmidwifery.com or call 249-842-1369.