What Are the Skills Needed to Be a Midwife?

Midwives are health practitioners specializing in the care of pregnant women. Midwives complete a recognized educational program in their home country and receive a license or registration to practice midwifery. The main responsibilities of a midwife are monitoring the well-being of mothers and babies before they are born, overseeing labor and delivery, identifying cases for emergency medical care and providing follow-up care of mothers and newborns.

Informed Medical Decision-Making Skills

• Midwives obtain medical education through an accredited course of study focusing on the knowledge of human anatomy pertaining to reproduction, prenatal care, fetal growth and development, childbirth procedures and postnatal care. The goal of a midwife is to provide assurance and direction with minimal medical intervention to childbearing women during the birth process. Identifying and referring complications or situations requiring immediate emergency medical attention is an important skill. Depending on the country, midwives may practice in homes, offices, birthing centers or hospitals.

Primary and Emergency Childbirth Medical Skills

• Midwives are educated in nutritional, emotional, physical, and environmental requirements for pregnant women. Measuring the mother's stomach and feeling the shape of the growing baby through the mother's skin (palpation) helps midwives assess the growth and development of the fetus. Midwives identify problems, diseases or conditions that could harm the baby or mother. During labor and delivery, midwives support the mother, assess the baby's heart rate and make decisions requiring medical intervention or emergency care. They may assist in providing safe and sterile environments for uncomplicated births. Midwives are trained in conducting physical examinations of newborns, evaluating infant development to identify potential problems, and performing required medical tests on babies up to two months of age.

Counseling and Teaching Skills

• Midwives advocate spiritual, nutritional and mental well-being during pregnancy.

  Midwives support pregnancy and childbirth as a natural occurrence in a woman's life. Teaching women to care for themselves and their unborn children is a major part of a midwife's job. Communicating and adapting teaching methods to women of different cultures and backgrounds is a necessary skill. Midwives are often advocates for women's health issues in a community, and must be comfortable providing counseling on surrounding issues that affect childbirth such as nutritional, emotional, spiritual and family well-being.

Time Management and Record-Keeping Skills

• Detailed records keeping and unscheduled births require organization and good time management skills.

  As of 2011, the Canadian Association of Midwives states that "registered midwives are health care professionals who provide primary care to women and their babies during pregnancy, labor, birth, and the postpartum period. As primary care providers, midwives may be the first point of entry to maternity services and are fully responsible for clinical decisions and the management of care within their scope of practice." Keeping accurate medical records of patients' visits, medical histories, pre-existing conditions, potential complications and patient concerns is therefore a required skill as are identifying and accessing suitable community and social resources quickly. Running a midwife practice including regular patient care visits, community educational activities and being available for births requires good time management and organizational skills.