What is a Midwife?

The Midwives Model of Care

The Midwives Model of Care is based on the fact that pregnancy and birth are normal life processes.

The Midwives Model of Care includes

Monitoring the physical, psychological and social well-being of the mother throughout the childbearing cycle
Providing the mother with individualized education, counseling, and prenatal care, continuous hands-on assistance during labor and delivery, and postpartum support
Minimizing unnecessary interventions
Identifying and referring women who require obstetrical attention

The application of this women-centered model of care has been proven to reduce the incidence of birth injury, trauma, and cesarean section.

There are four types of Midwives in the PAMA:

Certified Professional Midwife (CPM)

An independent practitioner who has met the national standards for certification set by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM), has passed a certification exam and is qualified to provide the midwifery model of care. The NARM certification process recognizes multiple routes of entry into midwifery and includes verification of knowledge and skills and the successful completion of both a written examination and a skills assessment. The CPM certification requires training in out-of-hospital births. CPM credentials meet or exceed licensure requirements in over half of the United States. State licensure status of Certified Professional Midwives varies by state. Currently in Pennsylvania, CPM’s are not state regulated nor state licensed.

Direct-Entry Midwife (DEM)

An independent practitioner educated in the discipline of midwifery through self-study, apprenticeship, a midwifery school, and/or a college- or university-based program distinct from the discipline of nursing. A direct-entry midwife is trained to provide the midwifery model of care to healthy women and newborns throughout the childbearing cycle, primarily in community settings, eg: home and birth centers. For members who are not CPMs the PAMA requests specific education and experience requirements of DEMs. State licensure status of direct-entry midwives varies by state. Currently in Pennsylvania, direct-entry midwives are not state regulated nor state licensed.

Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM)

A midwife who has a degree in nursing prior to entering midwifery training, has graduated from an ACNM Certification Council (ACC) accredited graduate level educational program, and has passed a certification exam. CNMs are licensed in all states, though the scope of practice may vary from state to state.

Traditional Midwife

A traditional midwife, or lay midwife, is a pregnancy and childbirth care provider. Traditional midwives provide the majority of primary maternity care in many developing countries, and may function within specific communities in developed countries.

Traditional midwives provide basic health care, support and advice during and after pregnancy and childbirth, based primarily on experience and knowledge acquired informally through the traditions and practices of the communities where they originated. They usually work in rural, remote and other medically underserved areas. TMs may or may not receive formal education and training in health care provision, and there are no specific professional requisites such as certification or licensure. A traditional midwife may have been formally educated and has chosen not to register. They often learn their trade through apprenticeship or are self-taught; in many communities one of the criteria for being accepted as a TM by clients is experience as a mother. Many traditional midwives are also herbalists, or other traditional healers. They may or may not be integrated in the formal health care system. They sometimes serve as a bridge between the community and the formal health system, and may accompany women to health facilities for delivery.