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What a Midwife Can Do For You
When most people think of midwives, they think about birth and babies, and while that’s true, midwives do so much more. In fact, you don’t even have to be pregnant to need a midwife. From your first period to your last, from contraception to parenting—midwives are there for your health, your rights, and your choices.
Midwives are educated health professionals whose care is based on a structured and rigorous foundation. Midwifery education is grounded in a clear, internationally recognised framework of knowledge and skills known as the Essential Competencies for Midwifery Practice, developed by a wide group of stakeholders, led by the International Confederation of Midwives. Not all health professions have such a comprehensive global benchmark.
While the length and format of midwifery education may vary across countries—just like it does for doctors, dentists or nurses, the aim is the same: to ensure every midwife is has the competencies to provide a defined set of high-quality, evidence-based care.
In fact, midwives are qualified to meet 90% of your essential sexual, reproductive, maternal, newborn, and adolescent health needs throughout your life.
Midwives are autonomous, accountable health professionals. They are trained to practise ethically and safely, applying evidence-based decision-making across every aspect of their work. They assess risks, respond to emergencies, and know when and how to refer you to other services. They uphold confidentiality, safeguard your dignity, and prioritise your rights and wellbeing. Above all, they provide care that centres you—in every context, from your first appointment to your last.
Midwives are primary providers of sexual and reproductive health care. They are trained to offer comprehensive, evidence-based services, including contraceptive counselling and provision, fertility education, STI screening and prevention, and safe abortion and post-abortion care. They support survivors of sexual and gender-based violence and advocate for your rights and choices at every stage. Midwives are committed to reducing stigma and ensuring care is inclusive, respectful, and free from discrimination.
During pregnancy, midwives provide comprehensive antenatal care. They conduct physical assessments, monitor the health and development of you and your baby, screen for complications, and provide emotional, psychological, and social support, especially if you have special circumstances that require extra support. They ensure you understand your options and help you prepare for labour, birth, and parenthood. Midwives work to detect risks early and ensure timely and appropriate referrals when needed—all while providing woman-centred, personalised care.
Midwives have the knowledge and competencies to manage normal labour and birth, and to recognise and respond to complications promptly. They support your birth plan, help you manage pain, and facilitate a safe and respectful birthing experience. Midwives use evidence-based practices to avoid unnecessary interventions and promote physiological birth. Their presence reduces the likelihood of unnecessary medicalisation and intervention and improves outcomes for both you and your baby.
Midwives continue to care for you after birth, monitoring your physical and mental recovery, supporting your feeding choices, and promoting bonding between you and your baby. They are trained to identify warning signs in both you and your newborn, and to act or refer appropriately. Midwives help you understand what’s normal, what’s not, and how to navigate the early days of parenting.
It’s not just about what midwives do, but how they do it. Midwifery care is grounded in an internationally agreed Model of Practice and Philosophy of Care that guides how midwives are trained and how they practise. According to this philosophy, midwives:
This Philosophy is the backbone of the midwifery model of care and distinguishes midwifery from other professions. Every profession follows a specific model of care; for instance, nurses and doctors follow their profession’s models of practice and are trained with different care philosophies.
This means midwives are not interchangeable with other health workers. They are uniquely trained to serve as the primary provider for women’s sexual and reproductive health needs. But they don’t work alone. Midwives cannot perform caesarean births or manage complex medical complications on their own. That’s why collaboration is key. Midwives, doctors, nurses, and other professionals each bring essential skills to the table for your care.
Throughout October, we’ll be sharing one post a week exploring what a midwife can do for you at different stages of life. Follow along, share with friends, and join the movement for woman-centred care.
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