Midwives have varying levels of experience and very different styles. It is of utmost importance to choose a midwife with whom you can feel comfortable, confident, and compatible.

Midwives attend 8% of births in the US and 8.6% of births in Minnesota

Center for Disease Control 2003, American Academy of Nurse Midwives 2004

“In terms of quality, satisfaction, and costs, the midwifery model for pregnancy and maternity care has been found to be beneficial to women and families, resulting in good outcomes and cost savings.”

American Public Health Association, “Supporting Access to Midwifery Services in the United States (Position Paper)”, American Journal of Public Health, Vol. 91, No. 3, March 2001

“Midwives are the most appropriate primary health care provider to be assigned to the care of normal birth.”

Maternal and Newborn Health/Safe Motherhood Unit of the World Health Organization, Care in Normal Birth: A practical guide. World Health Organization, 1996.

“Midwives attend the vast majority of births in those industrialized countries with the best perinatal outcomes...”

Coalition for Improving Maternity Services, The Mother-Friendly Childbirth Initiative, 1996

Planned home birth for low risk women using certified professional midwives have:

• lower rates of medical intervention
• similar safety statistics as low risk hospital births in the United States
• A 97% mother satisfaction rate!

Johnson K.& Daviss B. 2005, ‘Outcomes of planned home births with certified professional midwives: large prospective study in North America’ BMJ 2005