Birth Attended by Licensed Midwife

What is the birth attended by licensed midwife measure?

This measure tells you the percentage of births attended by a licensed midwife at a particular hospital. If the number is zero, the hospital most likely does not have midwives attending births. Many pregnant and birthing women appreciate the experiences and outcomes associated with the personalized care and lower use of interventions practiced by licensed midwives.

What does the birth attended by licensed midwife measure mean for me and my baby?

Current evidence suggests that midwives use similar or lower rates of intervention (e.g., C-sections, episiotomies, labor induction), compared with physicians, and with similar (and sometimes better) outcomes. Care is often personalized, and midwives may spend more time with women in individual visits. Many women appreciate having midwifery care for prenatal visits as well as labor and birth care, and express a high degree of satisfaction with their experience of midwifery care. Midwives can be responsible providers for women who do not need specialized care and can share care with physicians when specialized care is needed.

Why does the births attended by a licensed midwife measure matter?

Women who wish to work with midwives for their maternity care can seek midwifery care for prenatal visits and make sure that midwives practice at the hospital where they plan to give birth.

What can I do with this information?

If you want to work with a midwife during labor and delivery, find out whether your hospital has midwives and make your preference known.