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Training to be a midwife

Training to be a midwife

Old May 6th 2010, 7:11 pm
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Default Training to be a midwife

Hi
just wondering if there are any midwifes or anyone training to be a midwife in the US. I will be there in the summer after much thought i would like to pursue a career in midwifey. I have a degree in buisness and i applied to some courses in the uk but i have to do an access to nursing course before i could be accepted onto a Degree course for midwifey or nursing. But as now i will be returning to join my husband in the us i am trying to see what i need to do. Midwifes do not seem to be a big thing in the us. Does anyone have any info on this.

Thanks Erica
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Old May 6th 2010, 7:28 pm
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Default Re: Training to be a midwife

Originally Posted by eslalwani
Hi
just wondering if there are any midwifes or anyone training to be a midwife in the US. I will be there in the summer after much thought i would like to pursue a career in midwifey. I have a degree in buisness and i applied to some courses in the uk but i have to do an access to nursing course before i could be accepted onto a Degree course for midwifey or nursing. But as now i will be returning to join my husband in the us i am trying to see what i need to do. Midwifes do not seem to be a big thing in the us. Does anyone have any info on this.

Thanks Erica
I think you do a Degree in nursing then Masters to get the midwife qualification. I was looking at info about this just the other day to do it at IUPUI
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Old May 6th 2010, 7:49 pm
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Default Re: Training to be a midwife

There's a couple of threads on this that you could probably find if you searched.

Probably also depends a little on the state you'll be moving to.
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Old May 6th 2010, 7:57 pm
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Smile Re: Training to be a midwife

yes i was checking the threads but most are about nursing and i wanted to by pass nursing really and go into midwifey. When i had my kids inthe us it was the doctors who delivered the babies not the nurses and i always wondered what as nurses they had to study. I will dig a little deeper.
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Old May 6th 2010, 8:00 pm
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Default Re: Training to be a midwife

Originally Posted by eslalwani
yes i was checking the threads but most are about nursing and i wanted to by pass nursing really and go into midwifey. When i had my kids inthe us it was the doctors who delivered the babies not the nurses and i always wondered what as nurses they had to study. I will dig a little deeper.
Hi, start with what US State you will live/work in. Nursing quals are not a prerequisite here necessarily, and "midwife" may be different than what you know from the UK but it is gaining popularity in some parts.
The practice is regulated at the state level, which is why you should start your searching with the name of the state + midwife school & similar.
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Old May 6th 2010, 8:04 pm
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Default Re: Training to be a midwife

Originally Posted by eslalwani
yes i was checking the threads but most are about nursing and i wanted to by pass nursing really and go into midwifey. When i had my kids inthe us it was the doctors who delivered the babies not the nurses and i always wondered what as nurses they had to study. I will dig a little deeper.

My daughter lives in the State of Mississippi. She uses a midwife and is due to have her third child (second with the assistance of a midwife) in June. I have to say that the midwife is wonderfully capable, reassuring, calming and if I were to do things over again (thank god I can't) I would also choose this way to give birth.

As Meauxna said, you have to find a State that allows midwifes. They are few and far between.
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Old May 6th 2010, 8:11 pm
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Default Re: Training to be a midwife

Originally Posted by eslalwani
yes i was checking the threads but most are about nursing and i wanted to by pass nursing really and go into midwifey. When i had my kids inthe us it was the doctors who delivered the babies not the nurses and i always wondered what as nurses they had to study. I will dig a little deeper.
My vague impression is that the Doula is a more prominent position in the US compared to the UK and thus takes on more of the midwifery role while the doctors do the delivery.
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Old May 6th 2010, 9:11 pm
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Default Re: Training to be a midwife

In ohio - i used a certified midwife - but i dot think they were nurses beforehand. I actually chose to have a home birth last year so used the midwives for that - GREAT experience (but it was my third and i have easy quick labours).
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Old May 7th 2010, 12:33 pm
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Default Re: Training to be a midwife

The midwives I've dealt with in the US are often called "nurse midwives". Nurses with additional training. Think "obstetric nurse". The hospital-based ones I've experienced have all been excellent IMO.
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Old May 7th 2010, 1:03 pm
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Default Re: Training to be a midwife

Originally Posted by Ozzidoc
The midwives I've dealt with in the US are often called "nurse midwives". Nurses with additional training. Think "obstetric nurse". The hospital-based ones I've experienced have all been excellent IMO.

As always I suppose it depends on the state in which the midwife is allowed to practice and what their rules and regulations are. I know that my daughter's midwife does not do the blood tests but sends her to a lab. The midwife is very thorough and just yesterday my daughter had a full day with her at the midwife's home/office. She attended a physical in the morning, a glucouse test and then a child birthing class with breathing techniques and then another class where they watched a birthing movie and also spoke about the wheres, whys, and wherefores of a normal birth, one with problems, etc.

Here are the guidelines for being a midwife in Mississippi

http://www.midwife.org/siteFiles/leg...issippi_09.pdf

And this is the site for my daughter's midwife

http://www.birthingoptions.com/

Last edited by Rete; May 7th 2010 at 1:07 pm.
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Old May 7th 2010, 3:14 pm
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Default Re: Training to be a midwife

Originally Posted by eslalwani
Hi
just wondering if there are any midwifes or anyone training to be a midwife in the US. I will be there in the summer after much thought i would like to pursue a career in midwifey. I have a degree in buisness and i applied to some courses in the uk but i have to do an access to nursing course before i could be accepted onto a Degree course for midwifey or nursing. But as now i will be returning to join my husband in the us i am trying to see what i need to do. Midwifes do not seem to be a big thing in the us. Does anyone have any info on this.

Thanks Erica
Hi Erica,

As the others have said, much will depend on what state you live in. Many will have CNM (certified nurse midwives) either working on their own or within an obstetrician's office. These are registered nurses who have gone on for further training to become midwives. They can do everything an OB will do except c-sections. Many hospitals will allow CNMs to have priviledges there. Some areas will allow lay-midwives...trained midwives but without the nursing background. They are not as common as CNMs and it is illegal for them to practice in some states.
Obstetrician births are still the more common in the US, but certain areas do have a large presence of CNMs and they are becoming more popular with expectant parents, and viewed more professionally within the medical community.
I work as a childbirth educator, doula, and lactation counselor and see a slight shift away from so many medically managed births.

Margaret
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Old May 7th 2010, 7:26 pm
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Default Re: Training to be a midwife

If you are going to do any course in the UK I would urge you to do the Registered Nurse training and not the Registered Midwife training. Midwives don't exist in the US in the same way as in the UK. An RN in the US can work in L&D (labour & delivery) unlike the UK where you need to be a midwife. It is also worth mentioning that any nurse training needs approving by the US BON (board of Nursing). You need to have hours of theory and practice in general med & surg, paediatrics, mental health, maternal health & community and many Universities do not cover all this in their programme.
Hope this is of some use, you can do your midwifery training on top of your general RN after if this was something you wanted to do. There are not many post grad courses but I understand they are still available.
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