Why CNM?

klone, MSN, RN · Jun 24, 2010

It's all about the nursing/midwifery model of care vs. the medical/OB model of care. OBs look at pregnancy and childbirth as an emergency waiting to happen. Midwives look at it as a normal physiological event. OBs tend to not revere the "process" whereas midwives recognize that the "process" is very important to many women.

smcclain7 · Jun 30, 2010

Klone is right....it is about the model of care (midwifery vs medical). Midwives believe birth is a normal process, not a condition that always requires hospitalization or intervention. Midwives have more training in attending normal, low-intervention births. OBs are trained in specialized areas such as surgery, most don't see many natural births during their training either.

Midwives "catch" babies. OBs "deliver" babies. :)

I highly suggest that you take the opportunity to shadow both types of professionals to really "see" (feel) the difference.

CEG · Jun 30, 2010

I'm still in nursing school and am very interested in all the different opportunities and specialties that are available with a little bit more schooling and experience. I've been interested in the birthing process and working with moms-to-be and the NICU since I learned of the specifics of my journey as a premature baby. I know that being a midwife has definite differences between being an ob/gyn and even a neonatal nurse and I guess I would like to know why midwife? What makes midwivery a better decision? What are the perks? Some guidance and opinions of how everyone likes being a midwife would be SO helpful! :) thanks!

It seems like you might be asking the difference between an OB/Gyn nurse and a midwife? A midwife is an independent practitioner who provides well woman, gyne, prenatal, postpartum and midlife care as well as delivering ("catching") babies. Whereas an OB nurse works in will often be the one providing all of a woman's care while she is an inpatient but with doctor's orders and doesn't actually catch the baby.