Ever since a Wilmington medical practice discontinued its midwifery program, the voices of concerned mothers have been growing louder. Picketers outside New Hanover Regional Medical Center, determined to raise awareness about the need for more local midwives, were present for a second day on Tuesday. Among the crowd was Olivia Marshburn, a certified nurse midwife of 15 years. "For women who are low-risk, the safest, best practice is given by a midwife,” Marshburn said. Marshburn can do everything from performing pap smears and mammograms, to offering care before, during, and after childbirth. Marshburn lives in Hampstead, but works at Camp Lejeune, because of the lack of midwife opportunities and red tape in the Wilmington area. Picketers are unhappy with Carolina OB-GYN canceling its midwifery program and a New Hanover Regional policy requiring an obstetrician to be on campus when a midwife is delivering a baby there. "This was a decision made by a private practice, it's not linked to a policy at the hospital. In fact the policy that they're referring to is something our obstetricians imposed upon themselves,” said Martha Harlan, a NHRMC spokesman. Marshburn says she wants OB's to understand the safety and cost-effectiveness of midwives' work. She says midwives have fewer cases of c-sections, which are referred to doctors to perform, and fewer premature births than doctors. She says that means less money for hospitals because of fewer surgeries and less time in the ICU.