- Historically, and currently in most areas in the world, midwives are the primary attendant at births.
- The word comes from mid (meaning "with") and wif (meaning "wife", as in woman)... "with woman".
- Today’s midwife is a part of the miraculous process of pregnancy, she can help nurture and provide a new mother and family with the knowledge and skills needed to have an empowering, joyous life event.
- Midwives are experts at "normal". They are trained to care for healthy low-risk women (about 70-80% of the US population are considered low-risk at the start of labor). Being experts at "normal" allows them to recognize when situations become abnormal and when to consult with another provider or obstetrician. Obstetricians (currently the leading primary of care for pregnant women in the US) are surgeons and experts at pathology (or complications) that can occur during pregnancy. Women choosing midwives may believe that choosing a doctor highly trained in abnormal pregnancies is not necessary for their normal pregnancy.
- Research has shown that midwifery care has no negative effects, though does have several benefits for childbearing women, including less epidural use, less episiotomies, less forceps or vacuum use, feeling more in control during birth, better success at initiating breastfeeding, and a better chance of having the same provider from prenatal care present at birth.
Source: Rooks, 1997; Simkin & Ancheta, 2011; Hatem et al., 2008
