What is a Midwife?
A midwife is a trained professional with special
expertise in supporting women to maintain a healthy pregnancy and
birth, offering expert individualized care, education, counseling and
support to a woman and her newborn throughout the childbearing cycle.
A midwife works with each woman and her family
to identify their unique physical, social and emotional needs. When the
care required is outside the midwife’s scope of practice or expertise,
the woman is referred to other health care providers for additional
consultation or care.
The Midwives Alliance of North America, the
North American Registry of Midwives, the Midwifery Education
Accreditation Council and Citizens for Midwifery agreed on a short
definition of what “midwifery care” means. However, just because a
person is a midwife does not guarantee that they provide this kind of
care: consumers looking for a midwife should ask questions to determine
if a prospective caregiver will be able to provide the kind of care
they seek.