Meet the Midwife: Mariah at Astoria Birth Center 2023

Mariah Wharton let me snap a few photos of her beautiful self and after just a minute of chatting with her, I could see how comfortable and warm she must make her patients feel. She is so gentle and kind – exactly who you’d want with you through labor and delivery.

Mariah is a credentialed midwife at Astoria Birth Center, specifically a certified nurse midwife (CNM) and a doctor of nursing practice. With 7 years of education combined with 8 years of nursing experience and a passion for community birth, she is an incredible asset to families!

“What even is a midwife?”

Midwives have the skills and training to safely deliver babies and to assess when complications require physician or hospital care. Time and time again, research demonstrates the safety of midwifery care for low-risk pregnancies (and countries like Canada and the U.K. already use midwives routinely!)

Credentialed midwives are licensed in the state of Oregon to provide prenatal, birth and postpartum care. These midwives carry oxygen, IV fluids, anti-hemorrhagic medications, local anesthetics for suturing, vitamin K and ophthalmic antibiotics for newborns. They can order lab work, obstetric ultrasound and newborn metabolic screening

CNMs are Advanced Practice Nurses and have a Master’s or Doctoral degree from a university-affiliated Nurse-Midwifery program accredited by the American College of Nurse-Midwives. Outside of the childbearing year, CNMs also provide well-woman care throughout the life cycle.

Still unsure if midwifery care is right for you? Get in touch with Astoria Birth Center to tour the clinic, ask questions and meet the midwives!