PeaceHealth welcomes certified nurse midwife to obstetric services supporting patients through pregnancy

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – PeaceHealth welcomes certified nurse midwife, Brenda Bednar, to a team of six midwives caring for patients through pregnancy and labor. 

Brenda Bednar, MSN, CNM, joined PeaceHealth this month, providing obstetric midwifery care at the Bellingham PeaceHealth obstetrics clinics at Cordata South and at Squalicum Parkway. Her practice specializes in centering pregnancy, low and high-risk care before and during pregnancy and supportive midwifery care. 

“My role as a nurse midwife is to support my patients as they make decisions that are right for them and their families,” says Brenda about her practice philosophy. “I believe women are the experts of their lives and my role is supporting their choices.” 

Brenda received her master’s degree in nursing from Yale University School of Nursing in New Haven, Connecticut, where she was a selected research fellow for the Wilbur Downs International Fellowship. She’s certified as a first assist for cesarean sections and in colposcopy. Brenda spent eight years as a certified nurse midwife at a large hospital in Seattle before moving to Bellingham to practice. She’s also served as a preceptor to midwifery students in the programs at Yale University, Seattle University and the University of Washington, where she was voted “Preceptor of the Year” in 2020.  

PeaceHealth Medical Group midwives are certified nurse midwives, the only type of midwife to work in a hospital setting, and have completed a nursing degree plus an advanced degree in midwifery. In Washington, they are also recognized as Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners (ARNPs) and as independent providers with full authority to write prescriptions. Midwives see pregnancy as a normal part of a person’s life, not as a medical problem. They care for a person’s physical, psychological and social wellbeing throughout pregnancy, but are quick to recognize when pregnancy becomes complicated and can help transfer care to an obstetric physician if needed. Physicians and midwives work together closely, with physicians providing expertise in disease, medically complicated pregnancy and surgery. 

PeaceHealth Medical Group offers obstetric services at two clinic locations in Bellingham at 4465 Cordata Parkway, Ste. 102, and at 3200 Squalicum Parkway. Appointments can be scheduled at either location by calling 360-752-5280. 

About PeaceHealth: PeaceHealth, based in Vancouver, Wash., is a not-for-profit Catholic health system offering care to communities in Washington, Oregon and Alaska. PeaceHealth has approximately 16,000 caregivers, a group practice with more than 1,200 providers and 10 medical centers serving both urban and rural communities throughout the Northwest. In 1890, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace founded what has become PeaceHealth. The Sisters shared expertise and transferred wisdom from one medical center to another, always finding the best way to serve the unmet need for healthcare in their communities. Today, PeaceHealth is the legacy of the founding Sisters and continues with a spirit of respect, stewardship, collaboration and social justice in fulfilling its Mission. Visit us online at peacehealth.org.