By Midwives and women around the world celebrated International Day of the Midwife on May 5. The event, launched by the International Confederation of Midwives in 1992, recognizes midwives’ contributions to global health.
This years’ theme was “The World Needs Midwives Today More Than Ever.” In many parts of the world, millions of women and children die due to the lack of a skilled attendant at birth. Midwives are experts in normal birth and have a proven track record of safe, effective care. Certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) use fewer medical interventions than OB/GYNs when managing low-risk, vaginal births, but their outcomes are just as good, if not better, than the OB/GYNs’. Patients of nurse-midwives report high levels of satisfaction and the cost of care for a midwife-attended birth is typically far less than an OB-attended birth.
Certified nurse-midwives attended 7.4% of all births in the US in 2006. CNMs use their expertise to help mothers around the world as well. Since 1982, the Department of Global Outreach of the American College of Nurse Midwives has implemented projects and provided assistance in over 30 different countries.
Have you ever worked with a nurse midwife?
