Craig Ranch OB/GYN Midwives

When Aspen Stephenson first met Certified Nurse-Midwife Allie Tate, she was expecting her second child. “I’d worked with a midwife for my first baby and really liked the model of care,” Aspen said. “I like that midwives are more laid back and not as quick to seek intervention.”

Throughout her pregnancy, Aspen’s baby was measuring large. “Allie talked to me at length about potential risk factors associated with delivering a larger baby, but she made it clear she’d honor any decision I made about the delivery.”

Aspen’s baby girl was indeed big, entering the world at nine pounds seven ounces. But her delivery was without complication. “There was an obstetrician on the floor, in case we needed them,” Aspen said. “But Allie was on top of everything and honored all my wishes for the delivery I wanted.”

When Aspen experienced a perineal tear, Allie was able to stitch her up and, had she needed a cesarean section, Allie would have stayed in the room with her throughout. Now, Allie can continue as Aspen’s primary care provider post-partum and for perimenopause, menopause, and beyond.

Aspen is only one of thousands of American women who’ve discovered midwifery is a wonderful option for anyone seeking low-intervention care. Women working with midwives report feeling heard, their choices being honored, and feeling true partnership with their midwife. And the statistics on midwife-facilitated deliveries speak for themselves.

For low-risk, uncomplicated deliveries, cesarean section rates are 30-40% lower. There are also lower rates of episiotomies, lower rates of perineal tears, and higher rates of vaginal deliveries. Babies delivered with the help of a midwife have lower rates of preterm birth, lower rates of NICU admission, higher breast-feeding success, and lower rates of infant mortality. Even when a pregnancy is deemed high-risk, many women choose to partner with a midwife in addition to their OB/GYN and fetal care specialist and to have their midwife present during delivery.

Dr. Andrew Shimer is the founder of Craig Ranch OB/GYN in McKinney and an ardent proponent of midwifery. “Ours was the first group in the Dallas area to hire a midwife,” he said. “That was back in 2002. I’d come from North Carolina where midwifery was popular, and I knew there was a population here that would appreciate that model of patient/midwife partnership in pregnancy and delivery.”

Now there are four midwives at Craig Ranch OB/GYN. Allie Tate is one of them. “Midwifery is all about bedside manner, letting patients know they’re being heard and accepted and that their wishes will be followed,” Allie said. “Each of our midwives is a certified nurse-midwife, an advanced-practice RN with master’s degrees and national certification. Our goal is high-touch midwifery focused on continuous, relationship-based, and personalized care that treats pregnancy and birth as normal, beautiful life events rather than medical conditions.”

In short, midwives focus not only on the medical side of pregnancy and delivery but on their patients’ emotional, physical, cultural, and spiritual needs for optimal mother-infant outcomes. Throughout your pregnancy, your midwife can:

• Evaluate the baby’s position, growth, and overall health
• Provide support regarding nutrition, exercise, and general wellness
• Discuss and schedule routine tests
• Advise on labor options
• Assist with a personalized birthing plan

During your delivery, your midwife can:

• Provision pain relief as outlined in the birthing plan
• Monitor the progress of labor, including baby’s heartbeat and other vital signs
• Provide emotional and physical assistance to facilitate the birthing plan

Your midwife may also provide:

• Help developing your personal birthing plan
• Advice regarding healthy living before and during pregnancy
• Face-to-face discussion about needs and concerns
• Discussion of alternative birthing opportunities such as showering or walking during labor
• Ease your emotional stress during delivery
• Support in breastfeeding and newborn care

When a Craig Ranch patient chooses to work with a midwife, she will see each of the midwives during her pregnancy. If she’s scheduling an induction, she can choose to schedule when her chosen midwife will be on call. If she goes into labor on her own, she will already be comfortable with whichever midwife is on call at that time. “I’d really connected with Allie and was hoping she’d be the one there for my delivery,” Aspen said. “I was really glad it worked out that way, but they were all wonderful and I’m sure I would have been happy working with any one of them.”

Craig Ranch certified nurse-midwives provide comprehensive prenatal care, including monitoring fetal growth, ordering and interpreting tests, and educating women on birth options. They offer coaching and support during labor, focusing on low-intervention techniques and orchestrate the birth experience the mother wants to have, focusing on patients’ emotional, physical, cultural, and spiritual needs. They also offer education and training to support new mothers with breastfeeding.

In addition to their midwives, the Craig Ranch team includes seven board certified physicians, two physician assistants, and a nurse practitioner. Together they provide the full spectrum of OB/GYN care, including complete high-risk pregnancy management, a full-time, in-office ultrasound technician, and the ability to perform extra monitoring for those patients who need it. They also work closely with Maternal Fetal Medicine doctors who help co-manage some of the higher risk patients.

In-office mammography means Craig Ranch patients can see their doctor for both their annual exam and their annual mammogram in just one appointment eliminating the need for a trip to an imaging center. And an in-office surgical suite means procedures such as endometrial ablations can be performed in-house.

As for the Craig Ranch midwives, they have settled on the following mission statement. “To deliver exceptional family-centered care rooted in shared decision making, physiological trust, and seamless integration with our broader obstetric team.” For patients like Aspen, that means someone in their corner, honoring their wishes, and walking alongside them through one of the most precious times of their life.