very few CNM's in my area...

[CNM2B201?]

I live in a more rural setting and there arent any CNM's in this area...in the larger city about 2hrs from us I know of a few practices that hire CNM's but they seem to be the exception..not the rule.

When I google midwife/cnm's for my state a few pop up for home birth services...but not many.

Im wondering why midwifery is more popular in some area's of the country than others... I really want to be a midwife but Im unsure if there will be any "need" for my services in this area...and relocating to another state is not an option.

Only one university in my state offers a CNM program...and this year they decided to stop admitting yearly...and are only going to admit every two years...im assuming this is because there isnt a great interest in the program..last year the graduating class was 9 women.

I know things can change..and I hope they do because right now Im still a pre nursing student..applying for the fall 2011 class...so there is plenty of time for jobs to pop up ..and hopefully they do.

[kythe, LPN]

Hello, you should come on over to the "cnm vs cpm" thread. I feel like I could almost repost the same thing here.

There were no CNM's in the entire county where I went to nursing school, despite two hospitals and several OB practices. There seemed to be a certain mistrust of CNM's or any low-intervention births, and I doubt they would be "welcome" there even if someone did get a degree and tried to get a job in the area. This was also a rural area, and I think places like that can sometimes be slow to accept new ideas. After all, they don't have any real competition from other hospitals or practices, so they have no reason to change or update their ways.

There were 3 CPM's in the area who do homebirths, and that is pretty much all you see. I think there is always a need for services related to "natural" births, but a lot of the midwife situation has to do with legalities in different areas as well as the local "political" climate for birth created by the hospitals and doctors who control the market.