A nursing midwife, or a nurse midwife, is basically a nurse who helps women with birthing. These nurses specialize in prepartum, birth and postpartum care. The profession of nursing midwifery has been around since the 1920s, though it has highly developed of late. Today, there are special courses to become a nursing midwife and there are specific ways in which certifications can be sought.

Are All Nursing Midwives the Same?

No. There are different kinds of nursing midwifes, based on various factors. A lot of these professionals in the US are registered nurses. These are the ones who have gone through a complete training program and work in places such as birthing clinics and in hospitals. They are also known as Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs). At the same time, there are also some unregistered nurses who work as midwives. These have more or less the same duties as the registered nurses, but their unregistered status becomes a deterrent for them in getting jobs in bigger hospitals and maternity clinics.

Then, nursing midwives are also classified on the basis of where they work. The major bulk of them work with hospitals, private maternity clinics and birthing centers. However, there are also a lot of them who work in the client’s home. They will typically stay with the woman during her pregnancy, help with the delivery and will also provide assistance when the birth has been done.

What Are Their Responsibilities?

Their responsibilities are to help women with the entire phase of pregnancy and childbirth and also provide care to the woman and the child after birth. However, there are limitations as to what kinds of pregnancies can be handled suitably by nursing midwifery. Usually, midwives handle all cases of normal and low-risk pregnancies. However, when the pregnancy is complicated, such as when the birth needs to be effectuated through a Caesarean section, then midwives don’t intervene. In such cases, the client is referred to an obstetrician.

There are also some supplementary responsibilities that nurse midwives handle. One of these is coaching couples for family planning. They tell couples options if they don’t want to have a baby at the present. They also conduct examinations on the women and also their children on a regular basis. In most cases, nurse midwives will be working under a senior health professional such as a doctor who will handle the actual delivery, while these nurses act as their assistants.

What Kind of Training Do Nursing Midwives Need?

Nursing midwives need to be trained in obstetrics and gynecology. Their profession demands that they have excellent knowledge of these subjects.

Courses for nursing midwifery are easily available through many esteemed institutions nowadays. In order to qualify for this course, the candidate must have a bachelor’s degree in science. The nurses can pursue postgraduate courses and acquire a master’s degree in midwifery as well. Some of these nurses opt to continue studying ahead. They learn more so that they can get specialized qualifications in gynecology and obstetrics.