About Midwifery
Midwives are Catching!
For centuries women have turned to midwives for support and assistance during childbirth and for 'women’s mysteries'. The word 'midwife' means 'with woman' and is derived from the old English/German words mitt (with) and wif (woman).
A Brief History of Midwifery
The history of midwifery spans thousands of years, originating in ancient societies where women supported each other during childbirth as part of communal life. In ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome, midwives were often highly respected, combining empirical knowledge with rudimentary medical techniques.
Over time, midwifery evolved alongside cultural and medical advancements, facing challenges from the rise of male-dominated medical professions during the Renaissance and Enlightenment eras, which sought to formalize obstetrics and shift childbirth into clinical settings. By the 19th and 20th centuries, midwifery practices were heavily regulated or sidelined in favor of hospital births, especially in industrialized nations.
However, in many Indigenous and rural communities worldwide, traditional midwifery persisted, preserving invaluable knowledge about natural and holistic childbirth practices. Today, modern midwifery integrates ancient wisdom with contemporary medical science, focusing on personalized, evidence-based care that emphasizes the natural process of childbirth while ensuring safety for mothers and babies.
Midwifery Today
Today’s Certified Nurse-Midwives and Certified Midwives provide care to to their patients throughout their lives. Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) are educated in the two disciplines of nursing and midwifery. They are Registered Nurses who have graduated from a nurse-midwifery educational program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Midwifery Education (ACME). They are 'certified' when they pass a national examination given by the American Midwifery Certification Board, and are licensed as advanced practice nurses in their states to practice nurse-midwifery. Certified Midwives (CMs) go through a similar process, including completing prerequisite work that includes the nursing competencies needed in practicing midwifery.
CNMs and CMs offer an individualized approach to health care for their patients. Midwifery care includes preconception care, prenatal care, labor and delivery care, care after birth, gynecological exams, newborn care, family planning and birth control, menopausal care, and counseling in health maintenance and disease prevention. CNMs/CMs also provide primary health care. Midwives listen to women, educate women, and encourage women to take an active role in their healthcare. Both CNMs and CMs are experts in normal pregnancy, birth, the postpartum period and well women gynecology. Modern midwifery care is woman-centered, holistic and based on the philosophy that health care should be safe and satisfying. Midwives are committed to promoting the health of their patients through complete and evidence-based information, autonomy in decision-making and support of the normalcy of pregnancy, birth and the many other cycles of life. They are qualified to prescribe medications, perform medical procedures and utilize medical technology within their scope of practice, and as medically necessary, and maintain established relationships with physicians for consultation, collaboration, or referral as needed.
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CNMs and CMs follow the Standards of care outlined by the American College of Nurse-Midwives. For more information on CNMs/CMs: midwife.org
Working with a Midwife
Most women are great candidates for midwifery care. When you work with a midwife, your CNM/CM:
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involves you as an active participant in your care
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talks to you, listens to you and involves your partner in the pregnancy care and birth of your baby
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physically and emotionally supports you during labor
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will educate you and support you in making healthy lifestyle choices
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attends to your cultural, spiritual and personal beliefs
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will support your choice of a natural childbirth
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will support your choice for a non-medicated birth
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will also support the choices you make for your labor and birth
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will support you in your plan to breastfeed your baby
Midwifery in Colorado
In Colorado, CNMs/CMs are independent licensed practitioners. There are close to 500 CNMs in our state. 14% of all births in Colorado are attended by CNMs/CMs. Most CNM/CM births occur in hospitals, although some nurse-midwives attend births in the home or in a freestanding birth center.
Find a CNM/CM near you! Discover the difference when you partner with a Midwife for your healthcare!