Bridging hospital & holistic: A midwife’s vision for safer, healthier pregnancies

In this powerful episode of the Nurses Report, host Nurse Gail McCray sits down with certified nurse midwife and functional medicine practitioner Brianna Batchelor to explore the urgent need for a holistic, integrative approach to maternal and women's health in the United States. The conversation reveals a troubling reality: despite being one of the most advanced nations, the U.S. has some of the worst maternal and neonatal outcomes globally, with 80% of these deaths deemed preventable. Batchelor argues that the current healthcare system fails women by focusing on acute care and symptom management rather than root cause investigation and long-term wellness. Drawing from her own experience as a midwife who transitioned from hospital labor and delivery to a functional medicine practice, she emphasizes that pregnancy is not just a medical event but a physiological stress test that reveals years of underlying health issues—such as nutrient deficiencies, gut dysfunction, and metabolic imbalances—that were ignored for decades. The episode dismantles the false dichotomy between conventional medicine and holistic care, advocating instead for a collaborative, systems-based model where midwives are integrated into hospital settings as primary care providers. Batchelor highlights that midwives, with 90% of their training focused on normal physiological birth, are better equipped than OBGYNs—whose training emphasizes emergency interventions—for supporting low-risk pregnancies. Yet midwives face systemic barriers, including restrictive hospital policies and lack of recognition, despite overwhelming evidence that midwifery care improves outcomes. The discussion also clarifies the distinctions between midwives, doulas, and licensed practitioners, underscoring the need for public education and patient advocacy. Ultimately, the episode calls for a paradigm shift: empowering women with knowledge, expanding access to integrative care, and redefining healthcare as a journey of prevention, healing, and partnership—not fear and fragmentation.