Nursing & Midwifery Strategy

Nurses and midwives have complementary roles in the care of pregnant women. They offer expertise and competence in areas concerning pregnancy, labor, delivery and postpartum issues. Nurses and midwives teach many classes for expectant women in birth centers and hospitals.

Midwifery Care

• A midwife is qualified to do well-woman exams and prenatal care.

  A midwife is an R.N. who has completed graduate courses in midwifery. She is qualified to do well-women exams and prenatal care. In the U.S., she works primarily in hospitals and birthing centers. Some midwives also attend home births. A midwife is qualified to be the primary attendant at a normal labor and delivery.

Nurse

• Nurses teach childbirth and lactation classes at hospitals and birth centers.

  An expectant woman sees an R.N. at her prenatal exams. The nurse weighs her, measures her fundal height (distance from her pubic bone to the top of the uterus), checks the urine for protein and sugars, and sometimes draws blood for labs. Nurses teach childbirth and lactation classes. On the labor and delivery floor, she monitors the woman's labor pattern, adjusting the fetal monitor and starting I.V.s. She communicates all information to the attending physician or midwife. She assists the doctor or midwife during the birth of the baby.

Working Together

• Nurses and midwives work together for the well-being of mother and baby.

  A midwife is qualified to attend the birth as the primary caregiver, while a nurse's role is more supportive. Together, they form a team. A competent nurse prepares instruments and sets up equipment, enabling the midwife to focus on labor progress and safety.