r/Midwives

Hello everyone! I’m currently in school to become a CNM. I have two years labor and delivery rn experience (currently working in a hospital and a freestanding birth center) as well as seven years of medic experience. I’m only adding this to show I have medical experience. I really have a huge dream of opening a free standing birth center near my home. Currently there is one free standing for multiple counties around me, so I don’t believe the market is too saturated where I’m my goal is to open it a little after I graduate. I’m hearing a lot that they’re shutting down all over the country at alarming rates and was wondering if this is just a bad idea or if I should follow my dream. Any advice, thoughts, or opinions are so appreciated!! Thank you!

I am a current BSN student and to be totally frank, the only reason I’m in nursing school is to become a midwife. I have some limited doula experience and training but I fell out of it in 2022 because I had a second kiddo, have another full-time job, and got into nursing school full-time. However, I do assist a CPM with prenatal appointments, postpartum appointments, and births 1x-2x a week.

Those who have experience at Frontier - I know that they generally want 1 yr of L&D, with case-by-case exceptions for doulas, LCs, childbirth educators, etc,. Would assisting a CPM at the frequency I do be sufficient? I’ve been scouring this sub and haven’t seen much about it, and the limited info I have seen has been a bit conflicting. Again, to be totally frank, I didn’t really sign up for nursing school to become a nurse and work med-surg or something. And I would love to work as an RN in L&D during CNM school and wouldn’t mind doing so, but I’m very eager to start my CNM education ASAP after graduation instead of hoping I can get immediately hired post-grad onto an often-competitive L&D unit (I live in a large midwestern metropolitan city) and spending a year there prior to even starting CNM school - or maybe longer if I end up having to work my way onto L&D. I’ll have to do what I have to do regardless, but trying to get an idea of what route I should expect.

TIA!

Looking for someone who knows the details about certified nurse midwives in Cincinnati. Either posting here, or sending me a DM. I'm seeking a job, but I don't live in the area, nor do I have those connections there. Looking for information on how midwives are accepted or treated, or general things that would be hard to suss out in an interview.

Good Sam / TriHealth used to have a large group of midwives. It seemed there was a midwife group, then a few midwives who worked alongside OBs. Currently, they have only 3 midwives listed on their website, and they're all new there (as far as I can tell). What happened to their midwife group practice?

Christ Hospital used to have just a few midwives - they seem to be expanding, but only at the Liberty Township location. Are they not expanding at their main hospital?

If anyone knows about midwives at UC, would love to hear that too.

Or, anywhere else in the area. Thank you!

How old were you when you started the CNM program ?

How old were you when you graduated ?

How long have you been practicing for and how are you liking it ? Pro and Cons?

Trying to decide

Should I go to school for a bachelor’s in nursing that is online/ hybrid. Since I’m a mom of 2 it would be easier for me to do online school but this program is 60,000! But then I could do the cnm route. The cpm route might be easier and cheaper as well but in long run it’s not helpful for insurance and more opportunities.

How much did you guys pay to become a cpm ? Like I found a midwifery school for 20,000 for three year track. And then I know there all the other fees as well for random stuff. Did you have to pay your midwife that trained you ? Because there was one I got a hold of saying the compensation is different depending if I want to school or did the experience pathway. Not sure what she meant. I want to start a practice as well so idk I might be like spending close to what I pay for that online school or loosing money because i won’t have as much work as a cpm.

Pro for cpm route is not dealing with hospitals is my biggest thing. I want to help with home births more holistic midwifery. Like medical science is fun why nursing school might be fun but I have to deal with the hospitals. So yeah help please lol.

Hello! I am an RN about to enter postpartum nursing. I am very interested in L&D and the birthing process. I would be interested in learning more about becoming a CNM in the future once I get more experience in this field. However, I want to study the birth process more on my own time.

i am looking for book recommendations about (textbooks from coursework or other books):

- general midwifery concepts

- the birth process

- managing high risk birth complications out of the hospital setting (I know this is out of the scope, but still curious to read about it & how it’s managed… mainly just like what do people do if they dont have access to standard hospitals & interventions)

- natural birth interventions

- holistic pregnancy and birth

- history of birth & midwifery

- postpartum mental health

Note: some of these are just out of curiosity of the birth process in general & some are to see if I would he interested specifically in the role of a CNM someday.

I'm a UK midwifery student graduating this year and looking at my options of working outside the UK. Probably looking at completing my preceptorship as a band 5 and becoming a band 6 in the UK and then moving.

From my research Malta seems like a good option in terms of still being in Europe (not having to move too far from family as they are scattered across Europe) and being English speaking.

I was wondering if any Maltese midwives had any first hand insights on what it's like working there. Do you feel well supported? Are you satisfied with your job and your general quality of life in Malta? Do you know of any international midwives that came to work in Malta and are they well received?

One of the main downsides that I am reading about is the lower pay compared to the UK so I'm also wondering if you feel like you can live comfortably on the salary you receive?

I appreciate any and all insights, no matter how big or small ❤️

Hello,

I am a new graduate midwife who is considering some job options. One of the job options is in a state that requires physician oversight. I applied to this job because it is close to family, and it has better hours and pay than any other jobs I have interviewed for (I wasn't expecting the pay to be higher, that was a huge surprise).

I would love to hear your experiences if you have ever worked in a physician oversight state. The good, the bad, the ugly. Any input is appreciated to help me decide if I want to practice in this type of environment. Thanks!

Hi midwives! Seeking any recommendations on schooling applications. I’m currently a social worker (working in child protection areas for the last 9 years) and have had two children of my own through midwives (ended in emergency csections but still wonderful experiences which have lead me here). I’m looking at a career shift and know the schooling process in Canada is insanely competitive. Any recommendations on how I could “beef up” my resume and applications? Those who have been accepted, what did you find was your biggest asset?

Additionally, midwives with young children- do you find the career is sustainable with raising littles?

I’m 35 and worried it may be too late…

Thank you so much!

Hi! ☺️I’m a doctor working in an EU country where midwives do the majority of suturing of perineal and vaginal tears, often independently.
I’ve noticed that, especially when suturing vaginal tears, it can sometimes be quite difficult to maintain a good overview of the wound while also handling the instruments and suturing. From what I’ve seen, midwives here generally don’t use any specific tools or devices to improve visualisation or make the procedure easier.
I’m curious about how this is done elsewhere:
Do you use any tools/devices to help with exposure or visualisation when suturing vaginal or perineal tears?

Do you feel there is a need for a better tool to make suturing easier, particularly for vaginal tears?

I’d be really interested to hear what you use (if anything) and what you find challenging during the procedure 💐

Is there any advantage to having both credentials? Is it worth it to have both given their main focus and curriculums taught are pretty different from one another? There’s got to be some benefit between knowing westernized clinical care and then also the rooted ancestral home care approach to birthing in any given setting.

Is any one a US locums?

That is my eventual goal as a past travel nurse, but it seems much harder as a cnm. Does anybody do it and what is your background/extra education?? Currently working in a medium volume inpatient and starting per diem at a 600 delivery/yr hospital within the month.

Thanks!

Heya, I’m just finishing my university course now to be a midwife and am also due with my first baby at the end of the month!

I’m trying to figure out how much parental leave I want to take.

In my country midwives are quite sought after, so I don’t think it will be hard for me to find a job no matter how long I’m out - rather a matter of not being able to choose my dream job and also how hard will it be for me to find back into it?

My original plan was about a year. Now circumstances have changed a bit and I’m considering even taking 2 years of leave.
Part time before that is not really possible for me.

How hard do you think it will be to get back into the work after 1 and after 2 years? Does it make a big difference? Is it possible either way?

Any insight or experience would be highly appreciated!
Maybe there’s people here who’ve done sth Else after their degree for a while and got back into midwifery after a couple years - how was that?

Thanks in advance!