South County Hospital

Midwifery

South County Hospital is a Midwifery practice in Westerly, RI with healthcare providers who have special training and skill in providing holistic, non-invasive care, education, and emotional support for pregnant women before, during, and after birthing. Midwives at South County Hospital perform healthcare services for women throughout pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum adjustment to motherhood. Midwifery is the profession of assisting women in prenatal care, childbirth, and postpartum transition, informed by the belief that pregnancy and childbirth are natural life processes, not medical conditions. Significant diseases and conditions treated at Midwifery practices include vaginal yeast infections, post partum depression, unnecessary technological or pharmaceutical interventions. Medical tests, procedures and therapies provided by Midwifery practices include pelvic exams, pap smears, breast exams, birth plan creation, parenting education, monitoring and support during labor and childbirth, breastfeeding instruction, newborn care education, and postpartum emotional support.

A Midwife is a trained professional with special expertise in supporting women to maintain a healthy pregnancy birth, offering expert individualized care, education, counseling, and support to a woman and her newborn throughout the childbearing cycle. A Midwife is a skilled and independent practitioner who has undergone formalized training. Midwives are not required to be nurses and may be trained via multiple routes of education (apprenticeship, workshop, formal classes, or programs, etc., usually a combination). The educational background requirements and licensing requirements vary by state. The Midwife may or may not be certified by a state or national organization.

Maternal & Fetal Medicine Obstetrics & Gynecology

South County Hospital is a Maternal & Fetal Medicine Obstetrics & Gynecology practice in Westerly, RI with healthcare providers who have special training and skill in caring for women with complicated or high-risk pregnancies. Maternal & Fetal Medicine Obstetricians & Gynecologists at South County Hospital perform prenatal care for women with high-risk pregnancies; helps manage conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure in mothers-to-be, checks for birth defects, genetic disorders, heart problems, and blood disorders in developing babies; monitors labor and delivery; manages a mother's post-pregnancy conditions. Maternal & Fetal Medicine Obstetrics & Gynecology is the treatment and management of high-risk pregnancy. Significant diseases and conditions treated at Maternal & Fetal Medicine Obstetrics & Gynecology practices include high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, autoimmune diseases, seizure disorders, blood clotting disorders, or infections. Medical tests, procedures and therapies provided by Maternal & Fetal Medicine Obstetrics & Gynecology practices include prenatal ultrasound, amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling, umbilical cord sampling, or emergency surgery.

An obstetrician/gynecologist who cares for, or provides consultation on, patients with complications of pregnancy. This specialist has advanced knowledge of the obstetrical, medical and surgical complications of pregnancy and their effect on both the mother and the fetus. The specialist also possesses expertise in the most current diagnostic and treatment modalities used in the care of patients with complicated pregnancies.

Gynecology

South County Hospital is a Gynecology practice in Westerly, RI with healthcare providers who have special training and skill in promoting women's wellness, especially their sexual and reproductive health. Gynecologists at South County Hospital perform preventative, diagnostic and treatment procedures on the female reproductive system. Gynecology is the medical care and maintenance of women's sex and reproductive systems throughout their natural life cycle, often integrated with general healthcare. Significant diseases and conditions treated at Gynecology practices include dysfunctions of both reproductive and general health - as they are inextricably linked. These dysfunctions commonly include: menstrual issues, acne, hormone imbalances (hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, osteoporosis, diabetes, depression, and personality disorders), sexual dysfunctions, sexually transmitted diseases, urinary tract infections, endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, ovarian cysts, and cancers of the reproductive tract and breasts. Gynecologists also nurture women through natural physiological and biochemical life stages: from managing adolescence, to becoming sexually active, to becoming pregnant, to pregnancy care, to postpartum care, to perimenopause, to menopause, and healthy aging promotion. These female specialists also help women prevent disease through lifestyle modifications, and enable healing from domestic violence and sexual assault. Because gynecologists treat such a wide array of integrative issues, they often serve as women's primary health care providers. Medical tests, procedures and therapies provided by Gynecology practices include medical and psychiatric history analysis, general wellness check-ups (including measuring vital signs and crafting nutrition plans), age appropriate breast and pelvic exams, preventative pap smears, contraception prescriptions, mammography, colonoscopy, blood pressure monitoring, immunizations, breast lump removal, and hysterectomies.

Obstetrics & Gynecology

South County Hospital is an Obstetrics & Gynecology practice in Westerly, RI with healthcare providers who have special training and skill in treating ailments of the reproductive system and related bowel, bladder, and urinary systems, as well as managing pregancy and child birthing. Obstetricians & Gynecologists at South County Hospital perform blood tests, pelvic exams, uterine and breast cancer screenings, birth control management, and reproductive system surgery. Obstetrics & Gynecology is care of a woman's reproductive health from the onset of puberty through menopause and beyond. Significant diseases and conditions treated at Obstetrics & Gynecology practices include yeast infections, bacterial infections, irregular menstruation, painful intercourse, discomfort of uterus, genitals, or breasts, infertility, and prolapse of the pelvic organs. Medical tests, procedures and therapies provided by Obstetrics & Gynecology practices include annual pap test and pelvic exam, mamogram prescription, infertility treatment, birth control management, tubal ligation (permanent form of birth control), hysterectomy (removal of the uterus), oophorectomy (removal of the ovaries), salpingectomy (removal of the fallopian tubes) or cone biopsy (removal of precancerous cells in the cervix identified during a pap test).

An obstetrician/gynecologist possesses special knowledge, skills and professional capability in the medical and surgical care of the female reproductive system and associated disorders. This physician serves as a consultant to other physicians and as a primary physician for women.

Advanced Practice Midwifery

South County Hospital is an Advanced Practice Midwifery practice in Westerly, RI with healthcare providers who have special training and skill in childbirth assistance and treating mothers and infants before, during, and after pregnancy. Advanced Practice Midwives at South County Hospital perform prenatal, delivery, and post natal care and education. Advanced Practice Midwifery is a type of advanced practice registered nurse. Significant diseases and conditions treated at Advanced Practice Midwifery practices include pregnancy and pregnancy complications. Medical tests, procedures and therapies provided by Advanced Practice Midwifery practices include pregnancy monitoring, prenatal nutrition, childbirth assistance, and postpartum care.

Midwifery practice as conducted by certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) and certified midwives (CMs) is the independent management of women's health care, focusing particularly on pregnancy, childbirth, the post partum period, care of the newborn, and the family planning and gynecologic needs of women. The CNM and CM practice within a health care system that provides for consultation, collaborative management, or referral, as indicated by the health status of the client. CNMs and CMs practice in accord with the Standards for the Practice of Midwifery, as defined by the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM).