A certified nurse midwife (CNM) provides care centered around pregnancy, childbirth, and women’s health. They support families before, during, and after birth and can provide routine gynecologic care. Here’s what you need to know about the roles of certified nurse midwives:
Prenatal and Pregnancy Guidance
A certified nurse midwife works with women and families during pregnancy. Focusing on personalized, whole-person care, a midwife monitors the mother and baby’s health at every prenatal visit while answering questions and offering guidance. A CNM may provide nutritional recommendations, lifestyle tips, childbirth education, and emotional support. Midwives can understand each patient’s needs, preferences, and concerns by developing personal connections throughout pregnancy.
Labor and Delivery
During labor, nurse midwives track the mother and baby’s well-being. If needed, some may use familiar methods like fetal monitoring, IVs, and medical interventions. They support you through contractions using gravity-friendly positions and monitor the baby’s heartbeat. Midwives may encourage you to move around, change positions, and use methods that enhance comfort. With a nurse midwife by your side, you gain an experienced partner for safe and positive labor and delivery.
Bonding Time
Nurse midwives value physical contact after birth, supporting the ties that women have to their newborns. After a vaginal or cesarean section delivery, they may adjust monitors and procedures to give you cherished first moments with your baby. Skin-to-skin cuddling, breastfeeding attempts, and staring into your little one’s eyes may all build ties as you meet your new family member. A midwife can support this bonding process and teach proper techniques for holding and feeding newborns.
Birth Decisions
Certified nurse midwives help women explore a range of childbirth options in various settings. They make it possible for women to have home births with medical oversight. In birthing and hospital settings, CNMs work to create a comforting atmosphere conducive to natural births. They also advocate for minimal interventions while balancing medical evidence with a mother’s wishes.
After Delivery
After birth, nurse midwives care for you and your baby while you are in the hospital. Some midwives may coordinate follow-up phone calls and visits to help ease the transition back home. They help track healing, breastfeeding, birth control, and your emotions. A midwife can also connect you with community resources, lactation specialists, and pediatricians. Midwives continue to provide guidance and answer questions about caring for your newborn.
Healthcare Gaps
In rural and underserved areas, CNMs may address the shortage of obstetricians by offering accessible prenatal and newborn care. Their services reduce maternal and infant mortality and increase positive birth experiences for vulnerable groups. By providing flexible care delivery models, CNMs make quality obstetric services available to all mothers regardless of their location or socioeconomic status.
Hire a Certified Nurse Midwife Today
Certified nurse midwives integrate nursing, midwifery, and medical skills to help patients in hospitals, birth centers, and homes. They provide non-pharmacological labor support while managing high-risk pregnancies. Their expertise spans preconception counseling, postpartum recovery, and infant care. For maternal services, consult a midwife in a maternal medicine clinic today.
