Do you think midwife deliveries are less safe than doctor deliveries?

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

Midwives are becoming more and more popular these days. Do you think that having a delivery performed by a midwife is less safe than one performed by a doctor?

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Specializes in OB/Neonatal, Med/Surg, Instructor.

Speaking generally, NO!

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Depends on the midwife. Same as a doctor attended delivery: it depends on the doc. It also depends upon the pt. In general, I think qualified midwives are as safe to attend a delivery as docs. I think it is very unfortunate our country has this regulated state by state. In some states one can bypass nursing school and become a licensed professional midwife. Some states only a certified nurse midwife is legal to practice. I would like to see two routes of entry. I know there are other ways of entering midwifery that many industrialized nations recognize; why can't we do the same?

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Specializes in Psychiatry.

Absolutely not. Midwives deliver low risk women...childbirth is a natural process that usually doesn't need any intervention. If you read Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth, in the back they have a chart of the outcomes of birth on their midwife assisted farm compared to dr. assisted in hospitals. The difference is amazing.

Doctor's take care of sick and hurt people. The average laboring women is neither of those.

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Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

As long as my pregnancy is low risk, I will be seeing a midwive. Watch "the business of being born" I thought it was very eye opening.

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Specializes in Clinical Risk Management.

CNM versus MD? No difference in safety.

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Specializes in OB, NICU, Nursing Education (academic).

No, I don't believe it is less safe IF:

the woman is low risk

the midwife is a CNM

there is excellent physician/hospital support, if needed

I used to work in an NICU unit 1 mile from the Mexican border. We had a number of "train wrecks" (both maternal and neonatal) as a result of "lay" midwifery practice; I have some very sad memories. This is not to say that lay midwifery only occurs on the border, but it used to be pretty common (I haven't lived in that area in 20 years).

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Folks--we've got a person here who created a profile to ask two questions:

"Do you think that having a delivery performed by a midwife is less safe than one performed by a doctor?"

and

"How can nurses tell their patients the importance of not smoking or quitting when they themselves are smoking!! It decreases a nurses credibility when they walk into a patients room and do teaching on the importance of not smoking when they reek of cigarette smoke. "

The cynic in me is wondering if someone is bored and wanting to stir the pot a bit.

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.

For low-risk women? Nope.

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Specializes in NA, Stepdown, L&D, Trauma ICU, ER.

The cynic in me is wondering if someone is bored and wanting to stir the pot a bit.

And the realist in me thinks you may be right

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As a future Midwife - No!

In almost all other westernized countries - 70 - 80% of births are attended by Midwives. In America - 5%. America has one of the highest Maternal/Infant death rates of all of these countries. You do the math!

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

No......they are just as safe if they are well-educated and caring for lower-risk women.

Any reason specifically, you ask?

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