When a couple is expecting a baby, then they need to choose a midwife who can provide them with assistance during a child’s birth. Since they are professionals, many people often consider appointing a midwife. However, it is important to know that as much as there are benefits, there are some downsides as well. Even though midwives have experience in childbirth and provide proper care to both the child and the mother, their way of approaching can lead to some medical interventions. So there are both pros and cons to being a midwife.
You need to know both so that you will be able to make wise decisions for both the mother and the baby. While choosing a midwife, you need to conduct careful research according to your personal needs. To make your work simple and easy here, we have put all the necessary information about what a midwife is, the types of midwives, the pros and cons of a midwife, some great tips on choosing a midwife, and the difference between a midwife and Ob-Gyn. All of this information will let you help in making an informed decision for your baby.
What Are Midwives?

Midwives are health professionals who are highly trained and specialise in taking care of pregnant women throughout their pregnancy, labor, delivery, and postpartum period. For a woman to become a midwife, she needs to have a bachelor’s degree in midwifery; this course takes approximately 3 to 4 years to complete. Midwives are registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) and have to meet the standards of the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). They work in various kinds of places like public and private hospitals and birth centres, and some of them are hired for home births.
Understanding The Different Types Of Midwives

There are different types of midwives, and each one of them has their own specific roles and qualifications. It is important for you to understand each one of them to make the right decisions.
1. Registered Midwives (RM): These are healthcare professionals who have successfully completed the registered midwifery programme by registering for the course of Bachelor of Midwifery. This degree takes three to four years, and once they complete this course, they are known as registered midwives. During their graduation, they become qualified enough to work in several kinds of locations like homes, birth centres, and hospitals.
2. Endorsed Midwives: They are registered midwives who have additional qualifications that allow them to prescribe medicines, order tests, and provide Medicare-funded services. Endorsed midwives are able to operate with greater independence, particularly in community or private practice settings.
3. Student Midwives: These individuals are studying in the midwifery education programs. They are allowed to work under the supervision of seniors to gain more knowledge and practice for becoming fully qualified midwives.
4. Dual-Registered Nurse-Midwives (RN/RM): Some of them hold dual registration as both a registered nurse (RN) and a registered midwife (RM). Their training allows them to offer a wide range of healthcare services, such as midwifery and general nursing.
Pros Of Choosing A Midwife For Your Birth

There are some pros to choosing a midwife for your birth. Below you will find some points that show the amazing advantages of midwife birth.
- Personalised Care: Midwives provide personalised care and attention by spending more time with their patients and creating a strong and trusting connection. This supportive bond creates a comfortable pregnancy experience, which helps reduce anxiety and promotes a smoother, more positive delivery process for expecting parents.
- Complete Guidance: They provide professional guidance on important topics like nutrition, managing emotions, pregnancy exercises, breastfeeding, and parenting. All of this makes sure that the expecting mother will receive proper support throughout the entire pregnancy, helping her feel confident and prepared for parenthood.
- Natural Pain Treatment: Midwives recommend different types of natural ways that help you manage pain during labor. These methods include massage, relaxation techniques, physical exercises, and water submersion. All of the techniques can help reduce discomfort without relying on medications.
- Comfortable Birth Environment: They help in creating a calm and comforting birth environment customised according to the preferences of pregnant women. Midwives might suggest options like home births, water births, or deliveries at a birth centre to ensure that the birthing experience feels safe, relaxed, and in line with the parent’s desires.
- Family Involvement: They encourage all the family members to take part in the birth process by providing their support and keeping the environment positive. Simply by involving the loved ones, midwives help create a cheerful, encouraging environment that benefits both the birthing person and the family.
Cons Of Choosing A Midwife For Your Birth

The decision to choose a midwife for your child’s birth has some cons. The following points explain the disadvantages of selecting a midwife for birth.
- Not Qualified for High-Risk Pregnancies: There are some midwives who are not trained to handle high-risk pregnancy situations such as those involving complications like multiple births, breech presentations, or conditions requiring a caesarean section. In these cases, it is important to look for a qualified obstetrician or specialist.
- Limited Medical Treatments: Certain medical treatments, such as genetic testing, inducing labour, and giving IV antibiotics, are beyond the limits of practice for midwives. Since obstetricians often give these treatments, midwives may not be able to handle all medical demands related to pregnancy and delivery.
- Limited Tools and Resources: Usually, midwives only have access to simple equipment, and they cannot be able to provide anaesthesia or carry out procedures like ultrasounds. Expecting parents would need to go to the hospital or consult a doctor in order to receive these more advanced medical resources.
- Insurance Limitations: There are some health insurance plans that may not cover midwifery services, which can result in additional out-of-pocket expenses. So, it is important to confirm in advance with your insurance company what expenses are covered.
- Recommendations for Emergency Care: Patients may need to be sent to a physician or hospital they have never been to before in the event of an emergency during labour. This could result in unexpected changes to the birth plan and add to the stress.
Tips On Choosing The Right Midwife For Your Birth

If you wish to select a midwife for your child’s birth, then it is important that you consider these factors to ensure the best possible experience.
- Comfort: You should choose a midwife with whom you feel safe and comfortable; this will let her be open and vulnerable during pregnancy and birth.
- Knowledge: Midwives should have complete knowledge. So while choosing, you can ask them some questions about their profession.
- Experience: You should consider checking the total time they have been working in this profession, the number of births they have attended, and their way of managing different situations.
- Insurance: You need to make sure that your insurance covers the expanses of midwifery services to avoid unexpected costs.
- Interview: Before hiring a midwife, it is best to take an interview to get an idea of their personality, qualifications, experience, and other things.
Midwife Vs. Ob-Gyn

Many people often get confused about which one is better, a midwife or an OB-GYN (obstetrician and gynecologist). Both of them are unique and have their specialties. To make things easier to understand, beneath you will find a table that shows the difference between them.
Factor | Midwife | OB-GYN |
---|---|---|
Training | They need to complete a 3-year course of Bachelor of Midwifery to become registered midwives. | They have to complete a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), which takes 6 years to become a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology. |
Specialisation | They specialise in midwifery care, focus on normal pregnancy, and offer support postpartum. | They specialise in high-risk pregnancies, fertility, and gynecologic oncology. |
Surgeries | Midwives cannot perform surgeries like C-sections or episiotomies. | OB-GYNs are trained to perform surgeries that include C-sections and episiotomies. |
Work Settings | They can work in hospitals, birth centres, and offer home birth services. | They operate in hospitals or private practices. |
Scope of Practice | They focus on normal or low-risk pregnancies by providing holistic care and support for natural childbirth. | They manage high-risk pregnancies, perform high-level surgeries, and handle complications. |
Final Thoughts
Choosing a midwife for childbirth can provide you with a personalised experience that will be great for low-risk pregnancies. Here, you have gained knowledge about midwives, their types, the amazing advantages that you get, the risks of midwives, and some valuable tips that help you hire a midwife. Midwives focus on natural birth methods while encouraging a relaxed and supportive environment. They do not perform surgeries, and for emergency circumstances, you will need an OB-GYN. It is important that you consider all the factors before making any kind of decision to make sure that you are taking the best care of your baby, yourself, or your wife during pregnancy and childbirth.
Frequently Asked Questions
When you hire a midwife, it is really important that you ask these questions to them. What kind of care will they offer to you during the pregnancy? How will your general practitioner (GP) be involved throughout the pregnancy period? How do you evaluate whether it is safe for you to have a home birth? How will the midwife watch the well-being of the baby and mother during pregnancy?
It is important to know how well the midwife will monitor the baby’s and mother’s well-being during pregnancy, as this simple question highlights the responsibilities of a midwife and their way of taking care and reviewing the risks. This also lets you know how a midwife will handle high-risk pregnancies or any kinds of complications.
The main aim of a midwife is to provide professional assistance and support you with proper care during the time of pregnancy, labour, and childbirth. Midwives help you to stay healthy during pregnancy and make sure that there should not be any kind of complications. They are professionals who are highly trained to support mother-to-be during pregnancy.
According to the review of National Maternity, there are 4 C’s of midwifery. These C’s stand for Choice, Communication, Continuity Of Career, and Continuous Quality Improvement.
For a woman to be considered a good midwife, she should have qualities like being personable and trustworthy. She should be polite and friendly to their patients. Midwives need to have full information so that a mother can completely depend on them in times of need. They need to have to be in continuous contact with the expecting parents. The midwife also needs to provide certification about their experience and their level of knowledge.