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- What's New?
- QuickFacts
- Directory of Midwives
- Info for Midwives
- Resources
- About MAWS
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WHAT IS A MIDWIFE?
Since the beginning of human history, women have helped other women in the transition to motherhood.
Midwives are the primary health care providers in most countries where birth is an integral part of family life. Countries with the highest rate of midwifery care today – emphasizing competent prenatal care, education, and empowerment for the woman giving birth – also have the best outcomes for mothers and babies. The World Health Organization (WHO) declared in 1990 that birth was actually safer for mothers and babies when utilizing midwifery for pregnancy and childbirth.
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Midwifery is based on a strong belief in partnership with childbearing women and respect for birth as a normal life event. Midwives strive to empower parents with knowledge and support their right to create the birth experience which is best for them.
Midwives respect intimacy, privacy, and family integrity, and draw on their own patience and understanding to provide care during pregnancy and birth.
Midwives Today
The modern midwife is a health professional who provides holistic heath care to the childbearing woman and newborn. She respects a wide range of women's need including personal and cultural values. Focusing on the natural processes of pregnancy, labor, and birth, she combines traditional skills and modern medical techiques to safeguard normal childbirth. The midwife maintains associations with physicians and other health care providers to ensure that mother and child have the best knowledge and technology available.
International Recognition
MAWS supports the international definition of the midwife (found here), developed by the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) and the International Federation of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (FIGO). It is nearly a verbatim version of that issued by the United Nations' World Health Organization. The WHO defines a midwife as someone who...
...must be able to give the necessary supervision, care and advice
to women during pregnancy, labour and the postpartum period, to
conduct deliveries on her own responsibility and to care for the
newborn and the infant. This care includes preventative measures,
the detection of abnormal conditions in mother and child, the
procurement of medical assistance and the execution of emergency
measures in the absence of medical help.
She has an important task
in health counseling and education, not only for the woman, but
also within the family and the community. The work should involve
antenatal education and preparation for parenthood and extends to
certain areas of gynecology, family planning and child care. She
may practice in hospitals, clinics, health units, domiciliary
conditions of in any other service.
Types of Midwives in the United States
Washington State recognizes two separate paths for professional midwives. For further details, see Midwives in Washington State.
- Certified Professional Midwives
- Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) may gain their midwifery education through a variety of routes. They must have their midwifery skills and experience evaluated through the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) certification process and pass the NARM Written Examination and Skills Assessment. Legal status varies from state to state. In some states, midwives' services are reimbursable through Medicaid and private insurance carrriers.
- Certified Nurse-Midwives
- Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) are educated in both nursing and midwifery. After attending an educational program accredited by the American College of Nurse-Midwives Certification Council (ACC), they must pass the ACC examination and can be licensed in the individual states in which they practice. CNMs practice most often in hospitals and birth centers.
- Direct-Entry Midwives
- "Direct-entry" midwives, who are licensed in some states, are not required to become nurses before training to be midwives. The Midwifery Education and Accreditation Council (MEAC) is currently accrediting direct-entry midwifery educational programs and apprenticeships in the U.S. Direct-entry midwives' legal status varies according to state and they practice most often in birth centers and in homes.
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