What Type of Nurses Deliver Babies?
Not just anyone can deliver babies--they must be legally licensed to do so. In the United States, midwives are nurses who have completed advanced study and passed a midwife certification test. However, they not only deliver babies--midwives can be the primary care provider for women in any stage of life, whether a woman seeks care for her annual gynecological exams to pregnancy, labor, birth or menopause.
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Types of Midwives
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Certification is an important qualification for a midwife. Only Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM) are recognized by all states. CNMs trained first as nurses and most have a master's degree or at least a bachelor's. They must pass a certification test with the organization called ACNM (American College of Nurse Midwives). There are three other types of midwives: Certified Midwives, Direct Entry Midwives, and Certified Professional Midwives. None of these types of midwives is recognized in every state for various reasons, in some cases because the qualifying process is not standardized. Check with your state's medical licensing board to find out what the standards are for midwife certification. Your health insurance is unlikely to cover care by an unlicensed or uncertified midwife.
How Do you Find a Midwife?
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If you're considering using a midwife for the birth of your baby, the American College of Nurse Midwives website has a provider search (See Resources). Also check with your health insurance provider to confirm that they cover midwifery care--most do.
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Why Not a Doctor?
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Midwifery is an ancient practice. Doctors have only come to dominate medical care in the past 100 years or so. The other type of medical practitioner licensed to deliver babies is an obstetrician, or OB-GYN. Although both types of medical professionals are trained to care for women's reproductive health, they have different approaches. Obstetricians are surgeons who specialize pregnancy-related illness; prenatal care often focuses on checking for issues and tracking or anticipating problems. While midwives are trained to recognize and deal with issues, the focus is more about maintaining a healthy pregnancy and possibly delivering without intrusive treatment. If a patient has issues beyond the midwife's specialization or skill, the midwife will refer the patient to a doctor.
Catching Babies
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With all this talk of certification and state licenses, you may wonder about babies born in taxis or at home. People who are licensed to deliver babies can be held responsible if they are negligent, but are also protected by the state in cases of unusual circumstances. Anyone who delivers a baby without actively coaching the mother through a birth is considered to have "caught" the baby, as opposed to "delivering" the baby.
A Matter of Choice
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Although midwives and doctors have different backgrounds, sometimes it's just a matter of bedside manner. The most important characteristic of a medical care provider is one who answers your questions, listens to your opinions, and gives you safe, quality care.
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