by Malvika Bose

Created on: December 21, 2011   Last Updated: December 26, 2011

News of pregnancy brings enormous joy to women who want to be mothers. With the conformation of pregnancy, begins journey during which time an expecting mother has to consult an assemblage of healthcare professionals. Out of these, Mid-wife is the carer who is mostly in touch with the patient and the benefits of using their help and expertise is immense.

Mid-wives are well trained in

Providing expectant mothers advice and counselling on prenatal care Monitoring the physical and mental well being of the expecting  mother throughout her childbirth cycle Providing  assistance during labor, delivery and post delivery Indentifying women who might need obstetrical consultation

These form the mid-wife model of care which is standard practice in USA

The care mid-wife provides is far from being just medical. Mid-wives are very good at offering a wealth of advice on non medical aspects of pregnancy. They dispel fear and anxiety from an expectant mothers mind by conveying effectively that childbirth is a natural process, not to be feared but managed properly. Mid-wife’s care is more personal and they are always eager to answer even the silliest of queries.

One of the main reasons many women prefer mid-wives in homebirth, birth centres or hospitals is to experience childbirth naturally where they are in control. Mid-wives treat a pregnant mother as a person and not a patient which makes all the difference.

Besides helping pregnant women with their prenatal, delivery and post natal care, mid-wives also provide family planning advice and routine health examinations for women. This includes conduction tests such as Pap smear and advice on sexually transmitted diseases. Certified nurse mid-wives (CNM) in most states within the USA can prescribe some medicines and also provide advice on menopause to older women.

One more benefit of using Mid-wife is that it is more economical since it tends to use as little medical intervention as possible.  

All certified Mid-wives are qualified health care providers who go through comprehensive examination offered by American college of Nurse midwives (ACNM),North American registry of midwives(NARM) to other organizations in USA.There are basically three types-

Direct entry mid-wife: These are midwives who undertake study of midwifery in a path or program which does not require prior education as a nurse. These midwives can either be certified, licensed (to practice in a particular state) or both.

Nurse mid-wife: Certified Nurse Midwives are educated in both nursing and midwifery and provide gynecological and midwifery care to women. They are more likely to work in hospitals.

Lay mid-wife: These are uncertified, unlicensed midwives termed as ‘Lay Mid-wives’ or traditional mid-wives who gain their skills through informal routes or apprenticeship.  These kind of mid-wife often work within the community, in groups or individually.

Mid-wives have been mentioned even in bible. Before the modern healthcare system originated in the twentieth century, mid-wives were the once in charge of childbirth for pregnant women. Pregnancy has been viewed as a medical problem in modern world. That perception is changing as more women decide to take control over their bodies and opt for mid-wife assisted natural birth.

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