Lehi woman shares midwife pregnancy, labor experience

LEHI, Utah — Lindsay Lee’s children, Dax and Ava, are welcoming another sibling to the family in September. They are so excited to have a baby sister, but they are even more excited for the family’s midwife, Angela Anderson, to deliver the baby.

Anderson is a certified nurse midwife at Intermountain Medical Center. She has a doctorate in nursing and is a licensed provider, which allows her to prescribe medication and order tests.

Anderson delivered both Dax and Ava, and since then has developed a close relationship with both kids.

“She’s become this motherly figure to me and to my kids, and they just love her and they know Angela was a part of bringing them into the world,” Lee said.

She loves how personal each visit with her midwife feels.

“I felt like they really took the time to get to know me. I never felt rushed through appointments. I felt like I could ask them anything. I could cry to them. I could tell them all my fears and concerns,” Lee explained.

The biggest support was in the delivery room, where Anderson remained at Lee’s bedside throughout the entire labor.

“We’re there giving counter pressure, pushing on hips, pushing on their back, encouraging position changes, getting them up walking, and if they’ve got an epidural, we are there chatting about how they met — the intimate details of their life,” Anderson said.

Lee was especially grateful to have Anderson in the delivery room when she experienced a complication with Ava’s birth.

“They had this cool midwives trick that they put me in — this funky little position and within minutes she turned and everything was fine,” Lee said.

Anderson explained a midwife’s role is to provide more than just physical support.

“We’re there to support the woman and the choices she’s making during childbirth — an epidural, unmedicated birth, some people have done hypnobirth training — and we will support them in that role,” she said.

While in labor, Lee said she was experiencing pains she hadn’t before and was feeling a little out of control. She said Anderson was there advocating for Lee’s birth plan reminding her of the goals they had set.

“(Anderson was) trying to make sure I had every opportunity to have what I had wanted even when I was a little bit crazy and couldn’t speak,” Lee said.

Lee said she has never doubted her midwife.

“It’s in a hospital setting so … if there is something that happens, then there is a maternal-fetal medicine specialist. There’s people to back them up in case they need anything,” Lee said.

Lee said Anderson is much more than just a midwife. “We have a special bond. I have so much love for her since she was there for me during such a crazy, special time,” she said.

“I feel like as a midwife, I’m invited to participate in one of the most intimate events of a family’s life and that’s a real honor to be a part of that,” Anderson said.

Anderson said there are four different types of midwives in Utah, but not all of them have the same schooling and licensure. Not all midwives meet the same requirements. A certified professional midwife (CPM), an unlicensed direct entry midwife (UDEM), and a licensed direct entry midwife (LDEM) each vary in their education and licensure.

Anderson said a certified nurse midwife is required to have extensive schooling, with a bachelor’s degree in nursing and a master’s or doctorate degree giving them full prescriptive authority. They must comply with the American College of Nurse-Midwives standards and are licensed to practice as a nurse-midwife.

Anderson suggests women do their own research. She also encourages women to ask their midwife about their training and certification before committing to her.