People who are unfamiliar with the midwifery practice at University of Iowa Health Care are sometimes surprised to learn that our midwives care for women in a hospital setting. In fact, they don’t attend home births at all. All births occur in Labor and Delivery Unit on the sixth floor of University of Iowa Health Care’s main hospital.
Prior to delivery, obstetric patients will receive prenatal care at regular intervals at the main hospital or at one of our satellite clinics.
Our team of nurse-midwives care for women in a hospital to ensure the best possible outcome for mothers and their babies. We hope for and expect normal physiologic vaginal birth, but should you need any intervention, our midwives collaborate with their obstetrics and gynecology colleagues to provide for the safest method of delivery for you and your baby. Meanwhile, your midwife would continue to remain by your side for emotional support. In addition, University of Iowa Health Care has Iowa's only comprehensive children's hospital and a world-class Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) nearby, should your baby need an increased level of care.
Learn more about our midwives about our midwives and the services they offer.