Midwives Services & Support

At Banner Health, our number one goal is to help you experience a happy and healthy pregnancy. For some women, that means including a midwife support in the process.

What Is a Midwife?

A midwife is a trained health professional with expertise in assisting women through pregnancies, labor, delivery, post-delivery and maternity services. A midwife can deliver babies at birthing centers, homes or hospitals.

What Is the Difference Between a Midwife and a Doula?

The biggest difference between a midwife and a doula is that a midwife is a trained health professional that can conduct gynecological exams and deliver a baby. A doula focuses on the emotional well-being of the mother, offering her help such as relaxation or breathing techniques. A doula is not trained to deliver a baby. 

Many women choose to use both a midwife and a doula during their pregnancy and birthing experience.

Types of Midwives

There are different types of midwives:

• Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs) - This type of midwife has completed both nursing school and advanced training in midwifery. They are qualified to work in all birth settings, in all 50 states. This is the type of midwife that practices at Banner Health.
• Certified Midwives (CMs) - These midwives typically have training in another area of healthcare and have also completed a midwifery program. They are only allowed to practice in select states.
• Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) - These are non-nurse midwives who have completed coursework for midwifery. They work exclusively outside of hospitals.

Benefits of Having a Midwife

Many women will choose to use a midwife when they want to experience natural childbirth.

Midwives can also provide you with emotional and social support through the process.

Questions to Ask Your Midwife

When choosing your midwife, you’ll want to make sure the two of you are a good fit. Some questions you may want to ask include:

• How long have you been practicing?
• What is your birth philosophy?
• What do you feel is your role as a midwife?
• Do you work with doulas?
• What does your prenatal care look like?
• When do you get involved in labor?
• What happens if there’s a complication in my pregnancy or labor?
• What kind of equipment do you use?
• What kind of postpartum support do you offer?

If you have any questions about midwifery or whether or not a midwife is right for you, our expert team is here to help.