Midwives are registered or legally licensed (or both) to assist in the delivery of a baby and can practice in any setting: home, birth center, or hospital. Midwives are growing in popularity, especially as they become more accepted in the hospital environment and as the popularity of birthing centers increases. In 2003, midwives attended 8 percent of births in the United States.³

Many women find that they can fulfill their desire to have a green birth more easily with the help of a midwife rather than with a physician, simply because the midwife often has more control over the environment in “her” birthing room. Unlike a busy physician, who usually is attending to other patients while a woman is in labor and under the care of hospital staff (and then pops in to deliver the baby), a midwife may stay with the expectant mom throughout the entire process and therefore be able to ad­vocate with the staff and supervise the implementation of her green labor and delivery.

In my experience, midwives tend to be agreeable about meeting the expectant couple’s birth plan requests. Whether in a birthing center or hospital, midwives may have no problem letting the dad-to-be bring organic cotton linens for the birthing bed; they are likely to agree to substitute facility food with the family’s own high-nutrient organic foods; and they have a reputation for reducing the amount of invasive or un­necessary medical intervention that frequently accompanies a child’s birth.

In your search for a midwife who will support your green pregnancy and delivery, look for one who understands and is willing to work with your need for a green delivery room that has the least possible negative impact on you, your baby, and the environment. At the same time, make sure that your chosen midwife is expertly trained and licensed to meet your needs.

Learn more about the benefits and drawbacks of hospital vs. home births

Midwife Credentials

According to the Midwives Alliance of North America, the following are the six most common credentials for midwives (http://www.mana.org/definitions.html):

2. Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) ‑ A certified nurse-midwife is a practitioner who has a nursing degree and is a certified midwife according to the requirements of the American College of Nurse-Midwives.

3. Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) ‑ A certified professional midwife is an independent practitioner who has met the standards for certification set by the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM). The CPM is the only international credential that requires knowledge about and experience in out-of-hospital settings.

4. Direct-Entry Midwife (DEM) ‑ A direct-entry midwife is an independent practitioner who is educated in midwifery through self-study, apprenticeship, a midwifery school, or a college- or university-based program distinct from the discipline of nursing. A direct-entry midwife is trained to provide ma­ternity care to healthy women and newborns throughout the childbearing cycle primarily in out-of-hospital settings.

6. Lay Midwife ‑ The term lay midwife is used to designate an uncertified or unlicensed midwife who has been educated through informal routes such as self-study or apprenticeship rather than through a formal program. This term does not necessarily mean a low level of education, but rather that the midwife either chose not to become certified or licensed, or there was no certification available for her type of education (as was the case before the Certified Professional Midwife credential was available). Other similar terms to describe uncertified or unlicensed midwives are traditional midwife, traditional birth attendant, granny mid­wife, and independent midwife.  ....read more