As more and more women are choosing to give birth the old-fashioned way, nurse-midwives are becoming more popular. In fact, the number of births attended by certified nurse-midwives is growing. Today more than six percent of babies are delivered with a certified nurse-midwife in attendance, compared with three percent of all births ten years ago. The American College of Nurse-Midwives estimates that this number will soon reach 10 percent.

Nurse-midwifery focuses on the physical and emotional needs of the woman and family. "The quality of the relationship is much better with a nurse-midwife," says Karen McGee, certified nurse-midwife of the Health Alliance. "We provide safe, clinical care that still honors the woman’s dignity."

Nurse-midwives provide education for the family and actively encourage their participation. A nurse-midwife may also encourage the active involvement of significant others according to the woman's cultural values and personal preferences.

Having a certified nurse-midwife at the birth of a child can be very reassuring. Most nurse-midwives attend to their patients on a one-on-one basis throughout the labor and delivery process, providing care and emotional support, meeting the holistic needs of the entire family.

A common misconception about nurse-midwives is that you don’t give birth in a hospital. Even though nurse-midwives specialize in low-risk births, all nurse-midwives associated with the Health Alliance provide care to the laboring mother only in a hospital. This adds extra peace of mind should complications arise.

A study by the National Center for Health Statistics (published in the May 1998 issue of Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health) found that infants delivered by certified nurse-midwives had excellent birth outcomes. The study suggested that the successful birth outcomes with certified nurse-midwives might be explained partly by prenatal, labor and delivery practices.

Other studies have shown that nurse-midwives generally spend more time with patients in prenatal visits, put more emphasis on patient education and provide more emotional support. "A nurse-midwife is more of a partner," says McGee. We attend to the woman’s spiritual, physical and emotional needs."

The Health Alliance works in cooperation with many certified nurse-midwives. To find the right certified nurse-midwife for you, call our referral line at 1-888-749-DrDr.