Learning the different types of midwives is the best way to choose which will be the best for you. Some only attend hospital births. Others only attend birth center or home births. A few can attend a birth wherever you want. Your choice of birth attendant will be influenced by where you want to have your baby.
Certified Nurse-Midwives: These health professionals have a nursing degree and have done additional study in midwifery. They often offer complete prenatal care, as well as attending births. Most CNMs deliver babies in hospitals and many are affiliated with an obstetrician's office. The American College of Nurse-Midwives oversees and accredits CNMs.
Certified Professional Midwife: These midwives have passed rigorous competency testing by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) and are awarded a CPM certificate. A CPM is an independent practitioner who provides complete prenatal care and attends births. CPMs work primarily in home birth and freestanding birth center birth situations. The requirements to become a CPM vary, depending on how the midwife.
Direct Entry Midwives: These midwives are independent practitioners who have learned midwifery through study, apprenticeship, a midwifery school, or a college program that is not a nursing program. These birth attendants usually provide complete prenatal care and attend births at home or in freestanding birth centers.
Licensed Midwives: These are midwives who are licensed to practice midwifery in a particular area, normally a state. Several states in the United States provide licenses. They normally provide complete prenatal care and primarily attend births in homes.
