The association of midwives with women have been in existence since a very long time.. Women needed help during the birth of child and it was the midwife who helped women during childbirth. A midwife was generally a woman who was an elder person in the community and society and one who was experienced enough to handle childbirth.
However, the concept of midwives exists even today but has gone through additional requirements and responsibilities. What we have in today’s world is a nurse-midwife. In order to be known as a nurse midwife, one has to be trained professionally, and receive a certificate from the college of nurse midwives. Hence, one can no longer be an elder person in the society with enough capacity to handle childbirth.
One must have proper training under trainers in order to enter this profession. The additional responsibilities of a nurse midwife is that she has to help the woman with all the prenatal care that she might require, give her special attention in the post partum days, give her consultations with respect to gynecological care, help her in family planning advices, and also teach her the care with which she should bring up her child once he/she is born.
A nurse midwife belongs to the women’s healthcare department.
The primary role of a nurse midwife is to deal with all the gynecological problems and give proper nursing to a woman who is expecting a child.
