Becoming A Midwife
Things to Know Before Becoming a Midwife
Becoming a midwife takes time and determination, but it is also a very rewarding profession. There are many things to take into consideration when one is deciding whether to pursue this career. We are going to talk about what it is that midwives actually do, the qualifications that must be achieved when becoming a midwife, and what future career opportunities are available to a midwife.
Midwives have been around since ancient times—longer, in fact! There have always been experienced women around to help others through the pregnancy and delivery processes. The midwife has been mentioned in many historical texts to prove that midwifes had played a very important role in Greek, Roman, and even Biblical times. It wasn’t until 1560 that Paris began requiring its midwives to pass an exam that would give them a license in midwifery. The practice of a midwife in Paris during this time finally started to incur regulations that had to be followed.
In England, midwives didn’t see this kind of formal structure until the early 1900’s, before which they were simply taught through apprenticeships. Unfortunately, this method of “training”, which was really simply a passing down of traditional knowledge or practices of the early Americans, was practiced long after the advancement of medical practices and even the use of penicillin to stabilize or prevent infection. Because American midwives were not trained according to new regulations and medical developments, the amount of babies lost during or after delivery by an American midwife was much higher than it should have been. These statistics resulted in the first school for American midwives to be developed in the 1930’s.
Now that we have a brief understanding of the history of this profession, it’s time to answer the most important question… What exactly is the role of a midwife? We hear the term midwife and know it has to do with pregnancy and babies, but it is so much more than that! Midwives give a very one-on-one sort of care to expectant mothers. They are more likely to spend time delving into the questions and concerns of the mom to be and tend to focus on the mother’s mentality towards the pregnancy. For instance, a midwife may ask her patient how she has been faring both mentally and physically. She may encourage the patient to voice any emotional changes that may indicate depression or anxiety, and try to alleviate any fears the mother has about her baby. Midwives tend to encourage open and honest conversation about the physical and emotional aspects of pregnancy and delivery.
While many doctors and obstetricians will also ask after the mom to be, most doctors tend to stick with medical equipment and laboratory testing to determine if the pregnancy is going well. Rather than by opening up a lengthy conversation about how the patient is faring, they are more likely to follow medical procedures and keep the conversation short. A midwife will encourage the mom to be to learn about the aspects of labor and delivery and to develop an appreciation for natural pain relief during labor, such as using birthing balls, walking, and taking a warm bath. Certified midwives are qualified to deliver babies naturally, however they cannot perform c-sections or administer anesthesia unless they are qualified to do so.
In modern times, the road to becoming a midwife takes a little longer than it used to, but is more likely to have a positive outcome. The most common qualification for midwives is certified nurse-midwives, or CNM for short. Most people with this qualification have at least a bachelor’s degree and have undergone thorough training for both nursing and midwifery. After the schooling and training is complete, a midwife must prove her knowledge by passing a certification exam. This is done on both national and state levels and often allows the midwife to practice in any or most states.
Becoming a midwife isn’t easy, but if you think it may be the right career for you, then you might want to look into local colleges or universities that offer graduate programs for nursing or midwifery. Although nursing qualifications are not required to obtain a midwife’s license, some areas may not offer a dedicated program for midwifery. A quick search online can also provide you with the results for midwifery programs in or near your area.