Jennifer Drawbridge joins
Penobscot Bay Ob/GynAssociates

Jennifer Drawbridge, CNM, MSN, RN, has joined Penobscot Bay Ob/GynAssociates, a department of Penobscot Bay Medical Center.

A certified nurse midwife, Jennifer was introduced to midwifery by Susan Harris, CNM, the first midwife at PBMC, before the birth of her first daughter in 1988. Harris retired last year; Drawbridge is taking her place on the Penobscot Bay Ob/Gyn Associates staff.

Drawbridge grew up in Camden and graduated from Camden-Rockport High School. Her family built the store that is now known as the Megunticook Market but in those days was known as Drawbridge's.

Today, Drawbridge lives in Lincolnville with her husband; they have two daughters. Before attending nursing school at Yale University, in New Haven, Conn., Drawbridge worked as a writer at Self magazine, specializing in women's health issues, and then as a freelance writer for a number of well-known titles, including Glamour, Mirabella, YM and Travel & Leisure. She graduated from Yale in 1999, receiving an RN and a master's degree, as well as her certification from the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM).

"I considered a number of public health disciplines and decided that women's health is my love, and that midwifery, with its tradition of respectful care for women and their families and dedication to underserved populations, was just the ticket," said Drawbridge.

Most recently, Drawbridge worked for the Family Planning Association of Maine clinics in Rockland, Belfast, Damariscotta and Augusta.

Drawbridge is excited to be working with Clara Buescher and Lynne Frey, whom she's known for many years through their memberships in the Maine Chapter of the ACNM. These three certified nurse midwives, along with three physicians, Dr. Thomas O'Connor III, Dr. Katherine A. Killoran and Dr. Candace Keene, comprise the medical staff of Penobscot Bay Ob/Gyn Associates, a complete women's health center on the campus of Penobscot Bay Medical Center in Rockport. (Online: pbmc.org/obgyn).

Midwives have been the experts in normal birth for centuries. They continue to provide the majority of care in healthy pregnancies in many developed countries. The first formal midwifery education program in the states was founded in the 1920s to provide care for women and families in the Appalachian Mountains.

"Midwifery care is not just about birth," said Drawbridge. "We provide annual well-woman care, care of women from teens to menopause and beyond, contraception and sexually transmitted infection testing. In addition, PBMC recently became a provider for the Maine Breast and Cervical Health program, providing free and low-cost annual exams, including Pap smears and mammograms, to uninsured and underinsured Maine women."

"I think our ob/gyn team -- midwives, doctors, nurses, support staff -- is terrific, and I'm really impressed by the enthusiasm and skill of the nurses at the PBMC Birthing Center. They are a great, experienced, dedicated group," Drawbridge said.