Certified Nurse Midwife Research Papers

Only 10% of all births in the United States are attended by a midwife, however it has not always been this way, up until the 1930’s midwives attended the majority of all births. As doctors became more prevalent and accessible, midwife assisted births started to decrease. Around 1910 midwives began being suppressed by doctors, as a method to improve the quality of obstetric care. By 1935, midwives were only attending 13% of birth, and they were mainly assisting minorities and the poor. The decline of the practice of midwifery and increase in obstetric care resulted in a 41% increase of infant mortality due to birth injuries caused by unnecessary medical interventions by an obstetrician (Rooks). Obstetricians are continuing to practice on pregnant

A midwife is a trained professional that focuses on pregnancy and childbirth in its natural form. There are different varieties of midwives, and their differences are based on how they obtained their training and licensure. A certified nurse midwife (CNM) is someone who is trained as a registered nurse and then has advanced training in midwifery. A traditional midwife is someone who was taught by an experienced midwife, however they do not have an academic license or certification (Dingott 441) Traditional midwives also believe that the care they provide should not be legislated in anyway. The majority of midwives are certified professional midwives (CPM) “is the only midwifery credential that requires knowledge about and experience in out-of-hospital settings.” A person who wants to become a CPM will be educated and trained in providing care in the homes of their patients and freestanding birth centers. Lastly, there is a certified midwife (CM), a CM is someone who has a background in a health-related field other than nursing, and then obtains a master’s degree in midwifery (“Types of Midwives”). The way that midwives approach caring for an expecting mother is where they really differ

According to the World Health Organization, cesarean section rates should only account for 15% of all deliver methods, rates greater or under 15% conclude that women are in danger. The United States performs cesarean sections on 30% of all births. This high percentage shows evidence that half of all cesarean sections are unnecessary (Dingott 437). Not only are doctors encouraging pregnant women to schedule cesarean sections, but they are also performing unnecessary medical interventions that increase the need for an unplanned cesarean section. These gratuitous interventions such as chemical induction, extensive fetal motoring, and manually breaking the amniotic sac, are signing away a mother’s chance to have a normal vaginal birth. Yet another factor that is causing the cesarean section rates to sky rocket, is that in the United States the policy to deliver a child in a breached position is to conduct a cesarean section. As a result, to this crude policy, medical schools are no longer even teaching the future doctors of America how to vaginally deliver a child in the breach position, and they are also not teaching student how to manually reposition the baby. Midwives are the only trained professionals that are still taught how to naturally deliver and care for a baby in the breached position (Dingott 438). A cesarean section comes with many risks and complication for both the mother