The First Step in Becoming a Midwife
Most women in the United States give birth to their children in a hospital or birthing center under the care of a physician. Some women, who perhaps do not believe in the practices of Western medicine or who want more control over the birthing process, hire a midwife for their prenatal, birth and postnatal care. The first step in becoming a midwife depends on what type of midwife you'd like to become.
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Research
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The first real step in becoming a midwife is to gather as much information about the profession as possible. This means looking at websites and publications created by midwifery organizations. It also means talking to established midwives to learn more about exactly what they do. Ideally, you should set up a job shadowing opportunity with a midwife in your area. During the shadowing, you will follow the midwife through her workday to get a better sense of the skills you will need and to find out how well you could handle overseeing a birth. You'll need to decide whether you want to assist births in homes or in medical facilities as part of this initial research.
Direct Entry Midwives
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Direct entry midwives are "traditional" midwives who have learned their skills from other midwives or through formal midwifery programs. To enter the profession this way after your research, start off by finding a midwife with whom you might be able to study, or by applying to a midwifery program. If you want to learn from a midwife, look for one who has an excellent reputation, lots of experience and a certification or license. A midwife with these qualifications who also has many clients is the best option, as they may also welcome the help of someone willing to learn.
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Certified Nurse Midwives
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Certified nurse midwives are midwives who learn midwifery via formal nursing schools. Unlike direct-entry midwives, certified nurse midwives usually work in birthing centers or hospitals. If you go this route, the first step following research is to apply to and complete a general nursing program and become a registered nurse. You may be able to take some midwifery courses as part of your RN education, but more typically, certified nurse midwives are advanced practice nurses, which means they are RNs who have gone on to get a master's degree. The master's degree for a CNM ideally should focus on midwifery, but any advanced study related to childbirth, neonatal care or maternity services is applicable.
Considerations
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Although midwifery and home birth are growing in popularity, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology does not advocate home birth as of 2011. For this reason, many people who want to start a career as a midwife opt to become a CNM. Before deciding the best route to take for your purposes, learn the regulations in your state for midwifery. As people continue to lobby for midwifery rights and services, some states are changing their midwifery laws. Another consideration is that although direct entry midwives have more flexibility in their careers, they tend to earn lower wages than certified nurse midwives.
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