Midwifery Benefits? Improved Outcomes For Moms Who See Midwives, Review Finds

More than 90 percent of births in the U.S. are supervised by doctors, but a growing minority of women rely on midwives to provide their primary care. A new review, published by The Cochrane Library on Tuesday, lends support to that model, finding that consistent midwife care throughout pregnancy is linked with better outcomes for both mom and baby.

Compared with women who mainly saw family physicians or obstetricians, or whose care was shared by some mix of doctors, nurses and midwives, women who had a midwife as their lead provider had fewer interventions and were less likely to deliver a premature baby.

“Every woman should be aware of the benefits of midwifery-led care compared to obstetrician- or family physician-led care,” said Maureen Corry, executive director of Childbirth Connection, a national nonprofit focused on maternal care, who did not work on the paper. “This new Cochrane review is full of good news news for women and babies.”

The reviewers looked at 13 trials of more than 16,000 women who saw a small team of midwives throughout their pregnancy, or one primary midwife. Eight of the trials included women who were at low-risk for complications during pregnancy and birth, while five included higher-risk women. All of the midwives were licensed in their respective countries, and none of the trials looked at home births.

 

 

 

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/20/midwifery-benefits_n_3787058.html