Lexington 5K raises money to support midwives

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - The Kentucky Affiliate of the American College of Nurse Midwives is working to increase resources and education about the work midwives do every day. They hosted their inaugural Miles for Midwives 5K on Saturday. The run/walk through Coldstream Park raised money to be used to promote midwifery advocacy across Kentucky, provide scholarship support for Kentucky student midwives, assist in the operational costs of the affiliate, and provide educational opportunities.

“It’s a little bit personal to me because my aunt is actually a midwife who studied here for Frontier Nursing so I’m really proud to be running for her today,” said 12-year-old winner, Luke Skidmore.

Certified nurse midwife and board member for the Kentucky Affiliate of the American College of Nurse Midwives, Alisha Morgan says midwives are primary care providers, not only birth providers. “Some people hear midwife and think, ‘oh you only deliver babies,’ but we do so much more than that. We take care of women from adolescents through end of life providing all of their healthcare needs anywhere in stages in between,” said Morgan.

Nationally, only a small number of women who deliver with a midwife will have a home birth. In Kentucky, the majority are doing hospital-based births.

“We provide epidurals. That’s a stigma in the community. They don’t think that we do epidurals. Yes, we do. We deliver in the hospital. You’re in a very safe, caring environment,” said Practice Coordinator and Marketing Director for Lexington Women’s Health, Tanya Bolton.

However, there are also some things midwives don’t do.

“Midwives aren’t surgeons midwives don’t do gynecologic surgery like C-sections or hysterectomies for that reason we work in collaboration with a physician OBGYN physician surgeon,” said Morgan.

She explains part of what makes the work of midwives so special is their ability to provide specialized person-centered care.

“One of the adages of midwifery school is you age with your patients you do and start seeing patients who come back and they’re pregnant now who you delivered,” said Morgan.

There’s also a shortage of maternity care resources, including midwives, across the Commonwealth.

“If we look at areas like Louisville, central Kentucky, around Lexington those types of areas are where most of your maternal care when you get to the southern part of the state, eastern parts of the state, far western parts of the state, we’re really lacking in maternity care providers,” said Morgan.

If you’re interested in meeting or establishing care with a midwife, click here.

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