Few professionals are as versatile or as deserving of recognition in the field of pregnancy, postpartum, and birth care as midwives. These skilled healthcare professionals are more than “birth attendants”; they are advocates, educators and emotional anchors. They are there to support families during one of the most important transitions in life: welcoming a newborn into the world.
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Midwives play a vital role in the care of mothers and babies, but they are not always appreciated or understood. We need to shine a light on their amazing contributions. This blog will explore why midwives deserve to be praised and why they are more important than ever.
1. Midwives Provide Holistic, Personalised Care
It is more than just delivering babies. It is about caring for the entire person, physically, mentally, and emotionally, throughout pregnancy, delivery, and beyond.
Midwives spend time with their patients to develop relationships. Midwives’ appointments are usually longer and more detailed than standard OB sessions. They listen to your concerns and ask you questions. They tailor their care according to the individual’s needs.
This personalised approach can make a huge difference for many families. Midwives know how to create an environment where families feel seen, heard and respected at a time of vulnerability.
2. They support physiological birth when possible
Midwifery care emphasises the importance of supporting a natural, physiological birth whenever it is safe. This means respecting the body’s normal processes, minimising unnecessary interventions and trusting in the birthing person.
Midwives also receive training to recognise when intervention is needed. Their goal is to make birth a normal event in life, and not a medical crisis.
This philosophy also leads to improved outcomes. Midwifery care is associated with fewer interventions and cesareans.
3. They empower and educate
They are educators as well as caregivers. They educate parents on what to expect in pregnancy, how best to prepare for labour, and what they should do during the first few days of caring for their newborn. They answer all of your questions and help you make informed decisions.
Midwives are a great resource for parents who want to learn how to be confident in themselves. Midwives help people to believe in themselves, their bodies, and their abilities to navigate pregnancy and parenthood on their own terms.
Midwives are restoring autonomy in a medical world that disempowers many women and people giving birth. It’s a feat that deserves to be commended.
4. They Provide Continuity in Care
Midwives are often described as a “constant” by families who have worked with them. They remain a familiar face throughout all of the ups and downs. This continuity of care promotes trust, improves communications, and results in better outcomes.
It can be comforting to know that your provider is familiar with your medical history, your preferences and your fears. Your midwife will be there to help you through every stage of your pregnancy, whether you are celebrating a successful ultrasound or going through a difficult labour.
This kind of support is very rare in the fragmented health care system of today, and that’s why midwives should be recognised.
5. They provide culturally sensitive and inclusive care
Midwives often lead the way in providing culturally-competent care. Many midwives are committed to addressing disparities in health, supporting marginalised groups, and respecting different traditions and beliefs surrounding birth.
Midwives often lead the way in promoting equity for maternal health, whether it is by respecting a family’s spiritual practices, reaffirming gender identity or advocating better care for Black parents and Indigenous parents.
The maternal and infant mortality rate is significantly lower in countries that have a well-integrated midwifery system. It’s not a coincidence.
6. They work in many different settings
Midwives are not only present at home births. Midwives can work in clinics, hospitals, birth centres, and even at home. Depending on their training and licensing, they can care for women with low-risk pregnancies as well as more complex needs.
CNMs are advanced practice nurse practitioners who can provide reproductive health services, such as recommending medication and conducting exams. They often work in hospitals and collaborate with OB/GYNs, as well as other healthcare providers.
There’s a midwife out there who will support you, whether it’s a homebirth without medication or an epidural in a hospital.
7. The Support Postpartum Well-being
Midwives continue to support families long after the birth of their baby. It is important to note that many parents feel abandoned or overwhelmed when they bring their babies home.
Midwives monitor the physical recovery of mothers, provide breastfeeding support, assess mental health and make sure that babies are thriving. Some midwives offer home visits or follow-ups to reduce the risk of postpartum complications.
Midwives are vital in ensuring the health and happiness of newly-born families by prioritising their postpartum care.
8. They Are Highly-Trained Professionals
Midwives do not work as untrained assistants or hobbyists. They are licensed, highly-skilled healthcare professionals. Midwives receive rigorous clinical and educational training depending on the type of certification they hold.
- Nursing or midwifery advanced degrees
- The birthing process is supervised for hundreds of hours
- Emergency procedures and complications training
- Continued Professional Development and Licensing Requirements
They can provide prenatal care and recognise when to transfer care. They have a wide range of knowledge and are well-deserving.
9. They work tirelessly and often under pressure
The midwifery profession is not 9-5. Midwifery is a 24/7 job. Midwives often work long hours, without taking breaks, because babies don’t adhere to schedules. Sometimes they provide both emotional support and physical care.
Many midwives are willing to go the extra mile despite their demanding jobs. They may stay with labouring women for hours or offer reassurance.
Their dedication and endurance are heroic.
10. They bridge the gap in global maternal care
Midwives play a vital role in closing the maternal health service gap, particularly in underserved regions. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), well-trained and experienced midwives can prevent up to 60 per cent of maternal and infant deaths globally.
Midwives provide the majority of maternal care in many countries. Midwives deliver babies in remote areas, rural villages, urban clinics and refugee camps.
We invest in the future by training and empowering our midwives. This will ensure that more women are able to deliver healthy babies and that more women survive childbirth.
11. They Advocate Gentle Birth Practices
They often use low-intervention techniques to promote dignity, comfort and gentleness in birth. To support people in labour, midwives use hydrotherapy, massage and natural pain relief.
This approach helps reduce the trauma that is often associated with births that are highly medicalised and gives parents a sense of peace and empowerment as they begin their journey.
Midwives promote consent, compassion and clear communication even in medically required procedures. This makes the process more humane and less sterile.
You may also like: What Is Breech Birth?
12. They are advocates for Change
They are more than just caregivers; they are also change-makers. They work for better maternity policies, equal access to services, and to eliminate systemic racism and gender sexism.
Many midwives also work in the fields of research, community education, and public health. Their voices help shape a future where everyone can give birth in dignity and safety.
13. They respect birth as a sacred experience
Midwives view birth as an experience that is deeply human and a sacred one. While doctors often treat it as a problem they need to solve, midwives see it as something profoundly human. They understand that birth is not just a physical event, but also emotional, psychological and spiritual.
The way that families view labour and delivery is transformed by this reverence. Birth can be both safe and meaningful.
This perspective is more important now than ever, as birth trauma is increasing.
Final thoughts:
The unsung heroes in maternal care are midwives. They combine science and soul, skill and softness; tradition and innovation. They comfort fear, hold hands, and catch babies.
You may have been fortunate enough to receive midwife care. They can make a profound difference in your life, not only during your pregnancy, but throughout your life.
We should thank them. Support policies that will elevate their work. Let’s invest more in midwives and integrate them into the healthcare system.
Let’s also give midwives the praise they deserve.
