Options for Midwifery Services in Arizona

A midwife is a health care professional who provides health services to women, most often during pregnancy, labor, and birth. A certified nurse midwife (CNM) is a registered nurse who has completed a midwifery program and passed a national certification exam. 

Services commonly provided by midwives include:

At Dignity Health, we believe our nurse-midwives are experts in natural childbirth. Our Arizona Birth Centers provide the alternative of a more natural childbirth experience, education, and personalized attention during the labor process in the safety of a hospital. If you would like to learn more about natural childbirth and midwifery options in Arizona, schedule a tour at one of our birthing centers, or register for birthing classes near you, call (877) 728-5414.

Midwifery Services at Dignity Health

Midwifery care is a safe, effective choice for pregnancy, birth, and well-woman care. According to research, women who use midwives for pregnancy care are:

  • Less likely to have a C-section
  • More likely to move around during labor
  • Less likely to need pain medication

Midwives get to know their patients’ desires and needs, giving them a highly individualized experience. Midwives do not focus on a woman’s pregnancy or health condition as an isolated event; rather, midwives consider it in the context of the woman’s life. 

Midwives also educate and empower their patients. A midwife teaches women about their bodies and explains their childbirth options to them. When women are pregnant, midwives coach them on how to work with their bodies during labor and birth. Because of this focus on specialized care, a pregnancy visit with a midwife often lasts longer than most routine health appointments. 

Why Choose a Midwife

Midwives provide care for uncomplicated pregnancies and births. They consider pregnancy and birth normal, natural events that do not require routine medical intervention. Many women choose midwives because they prefer a highly personalized approach to pregnancy, birth, and women’s health care.

Midwives regularly collaborate with obstetrician-gynecologists (OB/GYNs) and other medical professionals. Midwives are trained to respond to medical emergencies, but they cannot perform C-sections.

Like doctors, midwives attend births in hospitals and birth centers. Some midwives provide home birth services as well.

Dignity Health provides specialized prenatal, labor, and delivery care, including midwifery services in Arizona.