Midwife Associations

Until the 20th century, most women gave birth at home under the attendance of other women, either family members or midwives. Midwives were women who had acquired a deep knowledge of the birthing process, usually by personal observation and mentoring from older practitioners. A resurgence of interest in midwifery has occurred over recent years, and many midwifing organizations and associations now provide advocacy and certification.

The Midwives Alliance of North America

• The Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA) is an umbrella group founded in 1982 to represent all stakeholders in midwifery: health care providers, midwives, student midwives and interested families. Midwives are welcome to join MANA regardless of their training, background or certifications. The organization is active in the promotion of professional credentials within the field, and advocates for midwifery throughout the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

The American College of Nurse-Midwives

• The roots of the American College of Nurse-Midwives go back to 1929, making it the oldest organization in the country dedicated specifically to issues of womens' health. The association is composed of professional health care practitioners who have taken additional training through a recognized course of midwifery. The largest group within the association is certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) who, as the name suggests, are trained nurses with additional midwifery experience their professional qualifications. Health care professionals in other disciplines may take midwifery training and become credentialed as certified midwives (CMs).

NARM and MEAC

• The North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) is an organization dedicated to the establishment of standards for professional competencies and certification within the midwifing community. The Midwifery Education Accreditation Council (MEAC) similarly establishes curriculum and education standards for formal training in midwifery. Together, in partnership with MANA, it has formalized the training of midwives who do not come from an existing health care background, as ACNMs do. These programs establish a uniform standard of competency, and those who successfully complete the process are credentialed as Certified Professional Midwives.

Citizens for Midwifery and the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services

• Citizens for Midwifery (CfM) is an advocacy group founded in 1996 by mothers interested in promoting midwifery. Its focus is on the Midwife Model of Care, a set of principles designed to make the reproductive cycle and birthing more woman-centric by utilizing midwives as its primary caregivers. A similar group is the Coalition for Improving Maternity Services (CIMS), whose members are advocates of "mother-friendly care." Their Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative espouses similar principles, pointing to midwife-based care, as a way to reduce the costs of birthing and improve outcomes for mothers and children.