Historically, midwifery has been associated with home births and birth centers. However, it is becoming more and more common for hospital and private-practice obstetrics teams to include midwives. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the employment of nurse midwives, nurse anesthetists and nurse practitioners to grow more than 40% between now and 2023 – a rate that is significantly higher than the average for other occupations.
Midwives can provide full-service obstetrics care for a routine, low-risk pregnancy, and see patients from pre-conception through pregnancy, through delivery and the postpartum period. Certified nurse midwives (CNMs) also have the specialized training and experience to provide care for conditions beyond pregnancy, such as STIs or menopause.
How Our Personalized Care and Support Can Help
The American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) recommends a model of midwifery health care that recognizes the importance of collaborative care, involves a compassionate partnership between patients and their providers, includes evidence-based care and values a patient’s life experiences, values and decisions and balances the appropriate use of interventions and technology.
Advantia Health CNMs deliver care that is consistent with this model, and those midwives are committed to both educating you to empower informed health decisions and respecting your individuality throughout your reproductive years and beyond. Their personalized care and support can help you improve outcomes and your care experience across your lifetime.
What Is the Role of Nurses in Midwifery?
Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs) are healthcare providers who generally work with people with uteruses through their reproductive years, especially during pregnancy and postpartum. Both CNMs and Certified Midwives (CMs) are educated in graduate-level midwifery programs accredited by the Accredited Commission for Midwifery Education (ACME) and pass a national certification exam administered by the American Midwifery Certification Board (AMCB). CNMs have earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a nursing license prior to their midwifery education program.
While CNM responsibilities and capabilities are similar to that of a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP), WHNPs usually care for patients from adolescence through menopause and CNMs specialize in the childbearing years. CNMs, like nurse practitioners, are legally recognized to practice in every state in the U.S. and in the District of Columbia.
Steps to become a certified nurse midwife:
- Earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
- Pass the NCLEX-RN exam
- Achieve a degree from a nurse-midwifery program accredited by the ACME
- Attend on-site clinical practicum hours, which usually range from 600 to 1,200 hours
- Earn certification by passing the Certified Nurse Midwifery Exam
- State licensure
We Offer Guidance and Expertise for Maternal and Infant Health
Midwifery education and training prepares CNMs to provide specialized care for pregnant women, new mothers and their healthy newborns during the first 28 days of life. Holistic services that support maternal and infant health include health counseling, pregnancy confirmation, routine monitoring throughout pregnancy, childbirth and birth plans, breastfeeding assistance, postpartum check-ups and related care that is tailored to your goals and needs.
How to Know if a Midwife Can Help You
CNMs are most well-known for providing care during pregnancy, labor and delivery, and the postpartum period. You do not need to choose a natural birth plan to work with a CNM; they can prescribe medications and epidurals, caring for women no matter how they choose to give birth. In a high-risk pregnancy, a CNM can work alongside specialists who are experts in your condition to help ensure safe, healthy outcomes.
Because CNMs are trained in women’s healthcare for all life stages, they are also available to support sexual and reproductive health; gynecologic health; and family planning services, including preconception care. According to the ACNM, 76% of CNMs/CMs identify reproductive care and 49% identify primary care as responsibilities in their full-time positions.
CNM capabilities include:
- Annual exams and pap smears
- STD screening
- Diagnosing and treating acute and chronic conditions, infections and injuries
- Ordering, performing and interpreting diagnostic tests such as lab work and x-rays
- Prescribing medications and other treatments
- Managing patients’ overall care
- Delivering babies
- Counseling
- Educating patients on disease prevention and positive health and lifestyle choices
- Menopause care
- Breastfeeding support
If you are trying to start a family, have a low-risk pregnancy, are seeking a delivery with fewer interventions, have recently delivered a baby, or need ongoing gynecological support, a CNM can provide high-quality care for you.
When to Reach out for Support
Because CNMs are available for many of your ongoing women’s health needs in addition to pregnancy-related support, you can establish a trusted partnership with a midwife as you would an OBGYN. CNMs are available to support your annual well-woman exams and routine screenings, illnesses, birth control counseling and a range of other conditions.
For personalized care that respects your needs and individual preferences, schedule an appointment with an Advantia Health CNM today.
