Midwife care

Prevea's dedicated certified nurse-midwives offer personalized care so you can feel confident in your women's health care.

Female doctor holding an ipad and talking to a female patient Female doctor holding an ipad and talking to a female patient

Choosing a Prevea midwife for your women’s health needs or pregnancy care

Prevea’s certified nurse-midwives dedicate their careers to caring for women. They provide a unique approach to care, and this deep compassion for women’s health drew them to becoming a midwife. By blending the genuinely supportive care that you expect as a women with the scientific knowledge needed for safe medical practice, midwives provide a holistic approach to both general women’s health and pregnancy care.

If you're expecting or hoping to start a family soon, with a midwife, you’ll feel empowered during pregnancy and childbirth. Midwives encourage you and your family to be actively involved and personalize your birthing experience — respecting your cultural values, beliefs and personal preferences. One of Prevea’s midwives will be by your side during your labor and delivery, providing you with medical expertise, encouragement and emotional support along the way.

Key services

  • Assistance with family planning decisions
  • Bleeding concerns and management
  • Breastfeeding education and support
  • Certified lactation counseling
  • Counseling in health maintenance and disease prevention
  • Labor and delivery in hospital
  • Medical care for mom and baby after birth
  • Menopause/perimenopause care and management options
  • Pregnancy care
  • Teenage concerns and gynecology care
  • Yearly physicals

Certified nurse-midwife philosophy of care

The same beliefs as the American College of Nurse-Midwives, Prevea’s midwives believe in the power and strength of women and the importance of their health in the well-being of families, communities and nations. 

Every person has a right to:

  • Ethical, equitable, accessible quality health care that promotes healing and health.
  • Health care that respects human dignity, individuality and diversity.
  • Complete and accurate information to make informed health care decisions.
  • Active participation in health care decisions.
  • Welcome family members to be a part of all health care experiences.

Providing high-quality health care for a woman and her family:

  • Promotes a life-long and compassionate partnership.
  • Helps us to understand a person’s life experiences and knowledge.
  • Includes personalized methods of care and healing guided by research.
  • Involves open communication and the use of human presence.

We support:

  • Watchful waiting and non-intervention in normal lifecycle events.
  • Appropriate use of advanced technology for health concerns.
  • Consultation, collaboration and referral with other Prevea health care experts as needed to provide the best care possible.
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Your life. Your beliefs. Your birth plan.

Choosing a midwife for your pregnancy puts the power of your pregnancy care in your hands. Your certified nurse-midwife will provide you with ethical, equitable and high-quality health care that respects your individuality and diversity.

A pregnant women sitting on a chair talking to a midwife

Holistic care + expertise

Prevea’s certified nurse-midwives take pride in keeping up to date on the latest research by attending continued education programs. They take the time to answer your questions while educating and talking to you about good healthy habits as well as the physical and emotional changes you experience as a female.

Frequently asked questions

Prevea’s midwives:
  • Deliver your baby independently within the safety and comfort of a hospital, at  HSHS St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay or HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan. 
  • Spend as much time as possible at the hospital providing hands-on care and one-on-one support during labor and delivery, helping you meet your goals. 
  • Guide you through a non-medicated labor if you choose, or you have the option of using pain medication during labor. 
  • Have access to all birthing and lactation services at the hospital, including a whirlpool tub during labor for pain management at  HSHS St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay, and access to obstetricians, a high-risk pregnancy physician and  NICU or virtual NICU services in the event of a complication. Prevea midwives at HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital’s Women and Infant Center have access to obstetricians as well as a high-risk pregnancy physician and Tele-NICU care.
  • Spend time with you after baby is born to ensure you and baby are doing well.
You might want to choose a midwife if you are looking for personalized one-on-one medical care.  
  • Prevea’s certified nurse-midwives spend a lot of time with women listening to their needs and providing education.  
  • One of the hallmarks of midwifery is education. During appointments, midwives make sure women have all the information they need to feel comfortable with the next steps in their care.  
  • Midwives provide a holistic approach to patient care through community-centered care, meaning they get to know women through changes in their life. 
  • During pregnancy, midwives discuss what women want from the birth, what is important to them and how can they help the patient through it. They provide not only one-on-one support during pregnancy and labor, but the medical care as well.  
If you want to be your own health care advocate and involved in making your own health care decisions, you’ll appreciate knowing certified nurse-midwives meet you wherever you’re at in your health care journey as a woman.
Certified nurse-midwives provide health care for women in a medical setting, with a focus on education and healthy lifestyles. At Prevea, midwives:
  • Work within a team of doctors, nurses and support staff to provide the best possible care for women, including but not limited to pregnancy care.
  • Guide expectant mothers on a holistic journey during pregnancy and beyond – they can continue your medical care after baby is born.
Certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) are different from doulas, nurses and doctors. They are licensed and medically trained nurse practitioners with master’s degrees and advanced training in midwifery and are certified by the American Midwifery Certification Board.
Certified nurse-midwives and doulas can both be important members of a woman’s pregnancy care team. The two often work side-by-side. However, there are differences in the support that each professional provides. 
  • Certified nurse-midwives provide medical care, including delivering the baby and prescribing medications. Doulas cannot provide medical care. 
  • Doulas provide labor support. They provide some prenatal and postpartum support, but they work outside of the clinic setting. They help with support techniques, comfort measures and childbirth education. 
  • Certified nurse-midwives provide similar support during pregnancy and labor, but they see patients in the clinic setting and are also able to provide the medical care during childbirth. 
  • When it comes time to have the baby, midwives and doulas can both be there supporting the patient and their family members, but the certified nurse-midwife will be the one that delivers the baby in the hospital setting.
  Doulas Certified Nurse-Midwives
Prenatal support x x
Labor support x x
Postpartum support x x
See patients in clinic   x
OB medical care   x
Prescribe medication   x
Deliver babies   x
Prevea has a team of certified nurse-midwives who provide care at multiple health centers throughout Wisconsin and deliver babies at HSHS St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay and HSHS St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan. 

Prevea midwives see patients in Appleton, Green Bay, Sheboygan, Manitowoc and Oconto Falls.

Prevea was the first in Green Bay to offer a certified nurse-midwife program, is also the only health care system to offer midwife services on both the east and west side of Green Bay and also in Sheboygan. Call (920) 405-1430 for more information.

Meet our physicians and providers

Kelly O’Connor
Kelly O’Connor, CNM

Certified Nurse-Midwife

Mary Williams
Mary Williams, CNM

Certified Nurse Midwife

Megan Hetzner
Megan Hetzner, CNM, APNP

Certified Nurse-Midwife

Natalie Larson
Natalie Larson, CNM

Certified Nurse Midwife

Find a Prevea Midwife near you

With a certified nurse-midwife, you can feel empowered in your health care journey. Schedule an appointment with a Prevea midwife at a Prevea health center near you.