What does a midwife do?

A midwife is a registered health care professional who provides primary care to women during pregnancy, labour and birth, including conducting normal vaginal deliveries, and providing care to mothers and babies during the first 6 weeks postpartum.

Midwifery care is founded on respect for pregnancy and birth as a normal, healthy process and a profound social, emotional and cultural event in a woman's life. Midwives provide safe, personalized, research-based care. They attend births in hospital or home according to the woman's choice and professional protocols and are on-call and available to their clients 24 hours a day during the course of care.

A registered midwife must follow the College's philosophy of midwifery care, as well as a comprehensive set of guidelines, known as standards. For example, there are standards for consultation and transfer of care to physicians, place of birth, equipment and medication, record keeping, and a Code of Ethics.