Midwifery

Why a Midwife?

Midwifery is based on the strong belief that midwives partner with childbearing women and respect birth as a normal life event. We strive to empower parents with knowledge and support their right to create the birth experience best for them. Our team respects intimacy, privacy, and family integrity, and draws on their own patience and understanding to provide care during pregnancy and birth.

Midwifery is a good choice for you as long as you’re in good health (no serious chronic medical condition, such as high blood pressure, epilepsy, heart disease, or diabetes). Midwives are an appealing option for women who want a more individualized, less routine approach to childbirth than most traditional obstetricians provide. They focus on helping you learn about the physical and emotional changes you go through during pregnancy, teach you how to maintain good health habits, and consider you to be an active participant in all aspects of your care.

At Baby’s First Day we see every pregnancy as a unique event and we encourage you to consider your options for labor and delivery and to personalize your own birth plan. Whatever kind of birth you choose, we will support you in your decision.

Comparison of different types of midwives:

Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM)

• Licensed and trained as a Registered Nurse and in midwifery.
• Experience as a registered nurse (generally labor and delivery, postpartum, or neonatal).  We have experience working as an RN on all of these units.
• In Nevada CNM’s are licensed through the Nevada state board of Nursing and required to maintain continuing education in their specialty.
• Entry-level education: Master’s Degree
• Can practice in all states
• Can deliver in all settings (home, birth center or hospital)
• Can provide care from “menarche through menopause” (menarche being the first menstrual cycle).
• Does not require any physician oversight in the state of Nevada
• Can write prescriptions and legally carry prescription medication to births
• Many insurance companies require a midwife to be a CNM for reimbursement. Teacher’s Health Trust, TriCare, and Culinary are just a few of the insurances that only recognize the CNM license.

Baby’s 1st Day is the only Certified Nurse-Midwife attending births outside the hospital in Southern Nevada.

Certified Professional Midwives (CPM)

• Licensed and trained in midwifery only.
• You can become a CPM without going to school. This is accomplished via apprenticeship and licensure requires PEP (Portfolio Evaluation Process).
• If you go to school, you can go to a MEAC accredited school or one that isn’t accredited. Non-accredited schooling requires PEP as well.
• Entry-level education: high school diploma
• They can practice in most states, but some states will not license CPMs. Nevada does NOT license CPM’s
• They can only attend deliveries Out of Hospital (OOH)
• They cannot write prescriptions or legally carry any prescription medication in Nevada
• Care is limited to pregnant or post-partum women in some states. Other states allow well-woman care as well

Certified Midwives (CM)

• Licensed and trained in midwifery only
• Bachelor’s of Science from accredited college or university required
• Entry-level education: Graduate degree from an accredited midwifery education program
• Can practice in some states. Nevada does NOT license CMs
• Can attend hospital and out of hospital births
• Cannot write prescriptions or legally carry any prescription medication in Nevada