Cortland Regional Medical Center launches midwife program

CORTLAND, N.Y. — Officials at Cortland Regional Medical Center have announced plans to bring two midwives to the hospital as part of an effort to serve the healthcare needs of women in the Cortland community.

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Regional Medical Practice Midwives, an affiliate of Cortland Regional Medical Center, will begin accepting new patients in March, the hospital announced in a press release. The practice will be located on 135 North Main Street in Cortland.

Nurse midwives Marry Borra and April Ward will collaborate with physicians from the hospital, including staff in the OB/GYN, primary care and family medicine departments.

Borra and Ward have experience in prenatal, family planning and gynecology care, the hospital said. Both are certified by the American College of Nurse-Midwives and licensed by the state of New York.

Borra, who worked as a labor nurse in the 1970s, said she became inspired to join the profession after noticing the lack of choice for women for prenatal care and the childbirth experience.

"I wanted to support and empower women to have a more active role in their birth," Borra said. "I felt the midwifery model best embodied this vision."

Borra and Ward will counsel patients on nutrition choices before and during pregnancy, understanding symptoms, breastfeeding support and stress management during after pregnancy, the hospital said.

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