What it means to be a midwife

PALMER — Every few months, the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center holds an event in its front lobby, welcoming the doctors and service providers new to the facility, and often, new to the area.

In addition to new doctors Marta Beaubien (Pediatrics), Christina Magill (ENT), Malisa Moss (OB/GYN), Gregory Strohmeyer (Orthopedic Surgeon) and Justin Warix (Emergency Medicine), were 10 physicians assistants and nurse practitioners, including life-long Alaskan Megan Ferguson.

Born in Juneau and a graduate of Sitka boarding school Mount Edgecumbe, Ferguson always saw herself in the medical field.

“I went to nursing school to be a midwife, with that as a the end goal,” she said. “With my children, I saw midwives with both of them in Juneau. It’s a more personal type of care; they become your friend, the person you confide in during pregnancy. They support you emotionally, not just medically — it’s just a different mode.”

She had been working the last five years at the Palmer hospital as a nurse in the Obstetrics division, while she was finishing graduate school on line. So while she was by no means new to the hospital, she was introduced in her new role as a midwife at the late October affair complete with refreshments and gift bags for the honored staff.

“The word midwife means ‘with woman,’” Ferguson said. “It’s a mid-level provider for normal birth, basically. So I catch babies and do women’s health.”

Ferguson explained that there are many midwives in the Valley, but prior to her arrival, there were only two in the hospital itself.

“For my field, specifically, our community here in the Valley is really transitioning and pulling away from the traditional model and toward more wholistic, patient-centered care,” she said.