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

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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?

Specializes in Emergency Department.
with lay midwives- absolutely

with CNM's- no

Define "lay midwife".

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Specializes in Emergency Department.
An apprentice midwife is one who is a student, working under the direction of a CPM. They complete classes and serve an apprenticeship before the can test as an CPM. CPM's are well trained, well educated people who focus on one aspect of the medical field. Google CPM and check out their qualifications and training. LM and CM is slowly getting phased out and replaced with the standardized CPM.

Actually an apprentice midwife is one who is under the direction of a senior midwife, period. I was an apprentice to a CNM, not a CPM.

The CM is not getting phased out, it's a credential offered for non-nurses with graduate training in midwifery following another advanced degree (often in health sciences field; see ACNM.org). The CPM is also a credential (see NARM.org).

LM = "licensed midwife", a legal title not a credential and not likely to be phased out. Many states call their non-nurse midwives LMs, but Texas calls them Documented Midwives, Colorado calls them Registered Midwives, etc.

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Specializes in Ante-Intra-Postpartum, Post Gyne.
with lay midwives- absolutely

with CNM's- no

You must live in an area with MEDwifes and not MIDwifes...the CNMs in my area are awesome...you must have a bias against CNMs, that's really sad. Don't get me wrong, I am friends with a lot of lay midwives, but I would choose a MEDwife before an OB any day (this is just hypothetical of course because I will never have an OB deliver any of my babies unless I had a true medical complication. I plan to deliver at home with a CPM/LM)

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Specializes in Rural Health.
You must live in an area with MEDwifes and not MIDwifes...the CNMs in my area are awesome...you must have a bias against CNMs, that's really sad. Don't get me wrong, I am friends with a lot of lay midwives, but I would choose a MEDwife before an OB any day (this is just hypothetical of course because I will never have an OB deliver any of my babies unless I had a true medical complication. I plan to deliver at home with a CPM/LM)

The original questions was a bit difficult to understand. The original OP wanted to know if delivering with a midwife was less safe than delivering with an OB.

I think what moongirl was trying to say is delivering with a lay midwife wasn't a safe option, delivering with a CNM was a safe option. I may be totally wrong but that's at least how I read the initial post.

In regards to the original question, delivering with a professional midwife (regardless of the title but one that is trained to deliver babies however they get trained) is a wonderful, great, fantastic low intervention birth and in my opinion is safer for mom and the baby because of the reduction of interventions. So yes, in my opinion it is just as safe, if not safer to deliver with a midwife than an OB.

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Specializes in Emergency Department.
I think what moongirl was trying to say is delivering with a lay midwife wasn't a safe option, delivering with a CNM was a safe option. I may be totally wrong but that's at least how I read the initial post.

In regards to the original question, delivering with a professional midwife (regardless of the title but one that is trained to deliver babies however they get trained)...

What is the definition of a lay midwife in 2008? And how does that differ from a professional midwife to make one better than another?

I seem to to be the lone direct-entry midwife (meaning not a nurse, yet) on the board and I'd like to provide some education here.

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You are definatley getting me wrong. I want to be a CNM. I think they are the best thing since sliced cheese...I just wanted to get feedback for a school project.

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Specializes in Rural Health.
What is the definition of a lay midwife in 2008? And how does that differ from a professional midwife to make one better than another?

I seem to to be the lone direct-entry midwife (meaning not a nurse, yet) on the board and I'd like to provide some education here.

I was just clarifying the post in which someone misunderstood. I never said I agreed with the statement made, just providing some clarification. :D

I'm all for midwives, regardless of title or education and I think they all have a place in providing excellent quality of care for pregnant women.

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Not really trying to still the pot just getting input for a Nursing school project...:D

My apologies, then. I was hoping your questions were sincere (and I will point out that I answered them as such) but my experience with forums including allnurses.com led me to think that maybe your questions weren't as sincere as just intended to ruffle our feathers. I mean, you create a profile, don't provide any personal information in it--like nursing student, etc--ask two fairly controversial questions, and then don't pop back in for a while. You can see why some cynical old timers like myself might have been suspicious of your motivations. I am pleased to see that I was apparently wrong. Good luck with your project in particular and school in general, and welcome to allnurses.com.

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Specializes in Emergency Department.
I was just clarifying the post in which someone misunderstood. I never said I agreed with the statement made, just providing some clarification. :D

I should've been more clear that although I quoted your message, I was addressing everyone in this thread (or reading it) who draws the line in midwifery between lay midwives and nurse midwives.

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I should've been more clear that although I quoted your message, I was addressing everyone in this thread (or reading it) who draws the line in midwifery between lay midwives and nurse midwives.

Personally, I think of a lay midwife as one who has apprenticed under a midwife without any formal education related to midwifery.

My understanding (correct me if I'm wrong) is that an apprenticeship (solely)-with an acceptable # of hours-was an acceptable pathway under NARM.

When I speak to people, many think of a lay midwife as a non-CNM who does homebirths.

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I think midwives are a great resource and they are very valuable. However, I am one of those folks that do not believe in home deliveries.

Home deliveries are perfectly safe...as long as nothing goes wrong. One perfect pregnancy and/or delivery does not guarantee a Mom that she'll have another.

In a hospital, if something goes wrong, a midwife is only a step away from getting back-up physician assistance. Any hospital delivery can be as "medical" or "non-medical" as Mom wants it to be.

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