What Is a Certified Nurse Midwife?

Pregnant women face many questions and concerns, but one that many are surprised with is the decision about whether to use a certified nurse midwife or a doctor to deliver their babies. Many first time moms do not understand what a certified nurse midwife is or the role that these professionals play in the birthing process. Before deciding that a doctor is the only option for delivering your baby, you should learn a little more about the profession of midwifery.

History

Midwifes have been delivering American babies since colonial times, but the profession of midwifery as it is known today was established in the 1920s. As the government began to investigate the cause of a high infant and mother mortality rate in this country, a desire to provide better prenatal care began to grow. Because of this emphasis, a nurse named Mary Brechinridge founded Frontier Nursing Service, the first professional midwifery service in the country. FNS cared for needy mothers in the Appalachian Mountains. The first midwifery school in the country was established at the Maternity Center Association in the late 1920s and had its first graduation in 1933. The profession continued to grow until it started to gain widespread popularity in the 1970s and 1980s. Today, all 50 states have practicing midwives.

Significance

Certified nurse midwives are certified nurses that have additional training in caring for pregnant women. In order to achieve certification as a nurse midwife, the nurse must graduate from a midwife program and perform clinical in obstetrics. With this certification, midwives may perform routine physical exams like Pap smears and breast exams, provide prenatal care to healthy pregnant women who are in low risk pregnancies, and deliver babies. Midwives are not able to care for women with complications during their pregnancies, so most work closely with an obstetrician so that a doctor's intervention is available when needed.

Misconceptions

The field of midwifery has many misconceptions surrounding it. One is that midwives only do home births. A midwife is what you will need if you want a home birth, but most midwives work with hospitals as well. Another is that you must have a completely natural birth if you choose a midwife. Midwives do tend to be more holistic than doctors, encouraging women to give birth naturally if possible, but pain relief is definitely a possibility with most deliveries that are monitored by a certified nurse midwife.

Function

Besides delivering the baby and providing prenatal care for pregnant women, most midwives also provide a measure of emotional support. Traditionally, a midwife stays with the mother throughout her labor, whereas a doctor will only be part of the picture towards the end to deliver the baby. Throughout labor the midwife provides support and encouragement to the laboring woman. This level of personal care is what causes many pregnant women to choose a midwife over an obstetrician.

Considerations

If you are trying to decide between a midwife and a doctor, there are some considerations to make. Doctors have more expertise and can handle complications better than a midwife. They are essential to any woman who is in a high-risk pregnancy. Midwives, however, provide more personal attention and more freedom for you to control your labor experience. Your ideas about what you do and do not want during labor are more likely to be supported and enforced by a midwife who stays with you throughout labor than a doctor who is only there at the end. If you do choose to use a midwife, find one that you feel completely comfortable with, because she will be with you throughout your entire labor and delivery.

Expert Insight

If you are looking for a home birth or a completely natural birth, a midwife is more likely to give you what you want. If you are a low risk pregnancy, a certified nurse midwife is a perfectly safe medical professional to use. In fact, statistics show that midwives assist fewer births that end as stillbirths than doctors. Of course, part of the reason behind that statistic is the fact that doctors attend high-risk pregnancies, but it does show that using a midwife is a safe alternative. Make sure that your midwife is a certified nurse midwife, however, because there practicing midwives who do not carry a license to do so.