About Midwifery

Is Midwifery Right for You?

At Serenity Birth Center, we believe every person has a right to:

• Equitable, ethical, accessible quality health care that promotes healing and health
• Health care that respects human dignity, individuality and diversity among groups
• Complete and accurate information to make informed health care decisions
• Self-determination and active participation in health care decisions
• Involvement of a woman’s designated family members, to the extent desired, in all health care experiences

Birth is a normal life event. 

When you choose our team at Serenity Birth Center, you’re empowered with knowledge and support to create your own birth plan. Your intimacy, privacy, and family integrity are respected and you are cared for with patience and understanding by a team of birth experts.

Every birth is a unique event. The experts at Serenity Birth Center encourage you to consider your options for labor and delivery, help you customize your own plan, and support you in your decision.

As long as you have no serious or chronic medical conditions (such as high blood pressure, epilepsy, heart disease, or diabetes), midwifery is a good choice. If you’re looking for a more individualized, less routine approach to childbirth than most traditional hospitals provide, then you need to step inside Serenity Birth Center and see how a calm, natural birth is possible.

Understanding Different Types of Midwives

Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM)

Licensed and trained in midwifery and as a registered nurse

Experience as a registered nurse (generally labor and delivery, postpartum, or neonatal)

Our team has experience working as an RN on all of these units:

• In Nevada, CNM’s are licensed through the Nevada State Board of Nursing and required to maintain continuing education in their specialty
• Entry-level education: Master’s Degree
• Can practice in all states
• Can deliver in all settings (home, birth center or hospital)
• Can provide care from "menarche through menopause" (menarche being the first menstrual cycle)
• Does not require any physician oversight in the state of Nevada
• Can write prescriptions and legally carry prescription medication to births
• Many insurance companies require a midwife be a CNM for reimbursement (Teacher’s Health Trust, TriCare, and Culinary are just a few of the insurances that only recognize the CNM license)

We are the only Certified Nurse-Midwife team attending births outside the hospital in southern Nevada 

Certified Professional Midwives (CPM)

• Licensed and trained in midwifery only
• You can become a CPM via apprenticeship; licensure requires PEP (Portfolio Evaluation Process).
• MEAC accredited school is ideal, however, non-accredited schooling requires PEP as well
• Entry-level education: high school diploma
• Can practice in most states, but Nevada and some other states will not license CPMs
• Can only attend deliveries Out of Hospital (OOH)
• Cannot write prescriptions or legally carry any prescription medication in Nevada
• Care is limited to pregnant or post-partum women in some states, other states allow well-woman care as well

Certified Midwives (CM)

• Licensed and trained in midwifery only
• Bachelor’s of Science from accredited college or university required
• Entry-level education: Graduate degree from an accredited midwifery education program
• Can practice in some states; Nevada does NOT license CMs
• Can attend hospital and out of hospital births
• Cannot write prescriptions or legally carry any prescription medication in Nevada