Certified professional midwives urging governor to relax midwifery regulation during pandemic
ATLANTA - A letter to Governor Brian Kemp and the Coronavirus Task Force Is a plea from dozens of certified professional midwives.
"We can minimize the pregnant family risk of coming in contact with the virus," CPM Paige White said.
They're hoping to keep newborns and their moms safe while freeing up hospital resources and staff.
White said they want the state to relax midwifery laws, so they can offer at-home births during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We typically do about three to four births a month, we are getting five to 10 phone calls and texts from people wanting to switch from their hospital birth to have a home birth," she told FOX 5’s Brian Hill.
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Under the current law, which went into effect in 2015, only certified nurse midwives can practice legally.
"However, there are some that choose to still practice and so they are choosing to still take care of women," White explained.
Women, who White said, have a number of concerns right now with having their babies at a hospital.
"They wanna avoid the germs they may pick up in the doctor's office, in the hospital. Some of the concerns are that some hospitals have changed their policies on who can be with somebody in labor," said White.
Due to those fears - white says some midwives in her circle now have a waiting list.
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White said they only work with low-risk mothers and require medical records.
"There are too many families that are looking for home births and not enough certified to take care of them."
White told us if they don't hear back from the Governor or task force, they will continue reaching out to help.
For more information on their effort, click here.
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