October 1, 2025

Article: Certified Nurse-Midwives: The Untapped Soluti8on to the Nation’s Maternal Health Crisis

It’s no secret that the United States is facing a worsening maternal health care crisis. We have the highest maternal and mortality rates of any other developed country. Black mothers are at even greater risk of dying or facing serious complications.

Hospitals are closing around the country due to staffing shortages, leaving women to face a harrowing gap in care, with rural and underserved communities at greatest risk. To address these issues, hospitals and health systems must look towards all measures to improve maternal health care, including elevating the role of certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) on maternal care teams.

While there is extensive data supporting the use of midwifery care – births guided by midwives have less:

• Complications,
• Interventions,
• inductions, and cesarean sections, as well as
• higher rates of VBACs (vaginal birth after cesarean) and general patient satisfaction

The vast majority of U.S. births do not involve CNMs. In the U.S., there are only 4 midwives for every 1,000 births, while other countries see between 30 – 7 midwives per 1,000 births. Not only do these countries have lower maternal mortality rates, but also lower costs of maternal care.

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