Letitia Quast-Wilson is a Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) and Board-Certified Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP) at Indiana University Health Arnett in Lafayette and West Lafayette. She has been a CNM/WHNP for seven years, prior to that she worked as a Labor/Delivery/Pediatric Nurse.
What kind of services do you have to offer?
I provide health services to women during their teenage years throughout their childbearing years, although WHNP’s/CNM’s can provide menopausal care also. The services I provide include annual health check-ups, birth control prescriptions, preconception planning, prenatal care, intrapartum care, and postpartum care.
How often should someone pay a visit?
Women should see their midwife yearly if they are not pregnant. Prenatal care visits occur every four weeks starting at 10-12 weeks’ gestation until 28 weeks, every two weeks between 28-36 weeks, and then weekly until delivery. Women can also see a midwife for sexual health testing or other women’s health related issues as needed throughout the year.
How do you define wellness?
I define wellness as a person achieving their best health state.
What benefits does someone get from utilizing your services?
I provide individualized, compassionate, and evidence-based care to the women I serve. I truly believe it is important for women to be as involved in their care as possible, I want them to know they have a voice, and it is my goal to work with them to achieve their healthcare goals. I believe it is very important for women to have time for self-care and strongly encourage them to set a self-care goal for themselves to do every day. Life can be very busy, and It is hard to care for others without setting time aside to care for yourself.
For someone who may be on the fence about visiting or scheduling an appointment, how would you encourage them to give it a try?
I encourage women to research the provider they are considering; it is so important to be able to openly communicate and trust the person caring for you. I recommend they start by talking to their friends, co-workers, and family about providers they trust in the area and then interviewing providers before making their decision. It is a great idea to have questions to bring when meeting a potential new provider to make sure their goals are the same as yours.