What Is A Midwife?

For centuries, midwives have served as trusted partners to women, offering care and support during pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum recovery. While the practice has evolved dramatically over time, the core principles of patient-centered, holistic care remain at its core. In this article, we’ll explore what makes midwifery unique and how to determine if midwifery care may be right for you.

The History of Midwifery

Interestingly, midwifery is one of the oldest professions in the world dating back to ancient times. In fact, its origins can be traced back to the paleolithic era (40,000 B.C.). The term midwife means “with woman”, signifying the closeness of a midwife’s relationship with their patient. Throughout history, midwives were revered for their knowledge and wisdom, supporting women during the critical moments of pregnancy and childbirth. Today, as modern medicine has evolved, midwifery remains an important profession, supporting women’s health across various stages of their lives.

Modern Midwifery Care

Today, there are several different types of midwives, depending on their level of education and training. At Axia Women’s Health, all of our midwives are Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs). This means they are registered nurses (RNs) who have completed graduate degrees in nursing and specialize in women’s reproductive health and childbirth. CNMs are a trusted part of the medical profession and receive certification by the American Midwifery Certification Board. Because of their training, CNMs often work in a hospital or clinic-based setting.

You might also be wondering, are midwives different than doulas? The answer is yes. Doulas are birth coaches that can offer physical and emotional support throughout your pregnancy and during labor and delivery. However, doulas cannot provide medical care.

What Do Midwives Do?

At the core of midwifery care is a belief in patient-centered care. Midwives believe in the body’s innate ability to birth and focus on supporting women throughout their pregnancy journey. Here are some key aspects of midwifery care:

• Personalized Attention: Midwives build strong, trusting relationships with their patients, offering individualized care tailored to your unique needs and preferences.
• Empowerment: Midwives believe in the power of women to make informed decisions about their bodies and birth experiences.
• Holistic Approach: Midwifery care addresses the physical and emotional aspects of pregnancy and childbirth.
• Lower Intervention Rates: Research consistently shows that midwife-attended births often have lower rates of interventions, such as cesarean sections and epidurals.

Midwives can provide both obstetric and gynecologic care. During pregnancy, they can offer prenatal care, education, emotional and practical support during labor and delivery, postpartum care and breastfeeding support. They can also offer general gynecologic care including annual exams, family planning, and contraception management.

What’s the difference between a Midwife and an OB/GYN?

In many ways, OB/GYNs and midwives are similar. Both OB/GYNs and midwives can deliver babies and provide general gynecologic care. Both are highly-trained medical professionals. Both have a focus on ensuring high-quality, compassionate patient care.

Typically, women with healthy, low-risk pregnancies are most often the best fit for midwife care, but women with certain high-risk conditions may still be able to partner with both a midwife and an obstetrician in order to receive the additional support they desire.

In some cases, an obstetrician can provide additional support for a high-risk pregnancy, offering medical or surgical interventions (such as a C-section) that are not available to midwives.

At Axia Women’s Health, our midwives work closely with OB/GYNs offering you the opportunity to receive additional support and focus.

Your Birth, Your Way

No matter what path you choose, remember that your pregnancy is a unique and special time. By partnering with a qualified Axia Women’s Health provider who aligns with your values and goals, you can create a positive and memorable birth experience.