Hello, and welcome to the website of Transitions Midwifery Services, LLC. My name is Brandy Brandfass; I am a South Carolina midwife licensed by the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC), and am a registered nurse. I have three amazing children, Madeline, Abigail, and Robbie. I’ve been serving SC birthing families since 1995, with 11 years of Labor and Delivery nursing experience, a thorough apprenticeship, and have been licensed since 2007 as a midwife. I live in Goose Creek, SC and am honored to serve women of South Carolina within an approximate 75 mile radius from my home.
My journey to midwifery started as a child. My mother taught Lamaze childbirth education classes, and I loved to browse through her materials, even before I could read. I was (still am!) in awe of what our bodies could do. I went to nursing school, with full intention of becoming a Certified Nurse Midwife. After school, I started working in labor and delivery, where I gained over 11 years of experience in all levels of care, including very high risk. But I was losing that awe I’d had as a child, until my first child was born in the hospital.
Then I realized, from a mother’s perspective, that the obstetrical model of care is all about the care provider and his or her fears, not about the birthing family. I knew there had to be a better way. Throughout my next pregnancy, I experienced true midwifery care and had a challenging but life-changing birth. I realized that this is the way healthy women should bring forth their babies. This is what I’d been searching to be a part of. God opened doors for me to complete my midwifery education, and I feel so blessed to be serving the families that He sends to me for such a sacred event.
South Carolina midwives are required to take classes to certify in Neonatal (newborn) Resuscitation, and Adult CPR every two years. SC midwives also must acquire a certain number of continuing education hours every 2 years to renew our licenses. I staff occasionally at Charleston Birth Place as an assistant, to keep my nursing license active. Throughout my nursing career, I have acquired several specialty certifications, including Advanced Fetal Monitoring, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner, and Pediatric Forensic Nurse Examiner. I now have a special interest in alternative healing modalities, including homeopathy and herbal remedies.
In August of 2008, I attained a nationally-recognized midwifery certification, Certified Professional Midwife (CPM). CPMs are skilled professionals who provide the Midwives Model of Care to women and families in a variety of settings, including birth centers, homes, and hospitals. Preparation to become a CPM involves specialized, competency-based education programs and risk assessment training, that requires out-of-hospital clinical experience. This is above and beyond what is required of South Carolina midwives, and I am happy to have worked hard to obtain this special certification. Learn more about this national credential here.
May, 2011, I was elected President of the South Carolina Licensed Midwives Association (SCLMA). I am honored to serve in this capacity, especially during this dynamic time in midwifery history in South Carolina. Our regulations are in the process of change, looking to make the Certified Professional Midwife Certification a requirement for licensure in the future. With those proposed changes, SCLMA is aggressively pursuing the additional of nationally-recognized skills to our scope of practice in our state. These skills include intravenous therapy in emergency situations, suturing of minor perineal lacerations, administration of the Vitamin K shot to newborns (when requested by parents), and administration of intravenous antibiotics for GBS (again, as an option for parents who request it after individual research). All revisions are in the draft stage only, and at best, we can look for regulation changes in the 2012 Legislative Session. It is an exciting time for South Carolina midwives, mothers, and babies! This is a very brief synopsis of the current status of our state; if you’d like additional information, please contact me.
