The evidence is overwhelming and consistent

The midwives model of care is the most effective maternity care, resulting in fewer interventions, better statistical outcomes, and higher patient satisfaction at a fraction of the cost of obstetrical models of care.

Most women in the United States do not have access to midwifery care or are aware of its benefit. As a result, most birthing American women are denied safe, satisfying, cost-effective birthing options compared to those women living in Canada, Great Britain, or The Netherlands.

Please see our [ Links ] to numerous studies regarding the midwives model of care.

It is the mission of The Foundation for the Advancement of Midwifery to improve access to midwifery care and change the public perception of maternity care in our country.

There are many barriers inhibiting or limiting access to midwifery care. The medical community has been outspoken in its opposition to women giving birth outside of the hospital and with caregivers who are not physicians. This well-funded and powerful group has influenced insurance companies, which control consumer choices, and dictates hospital maternity management. They have also used their power to influence public policy and the choices available to the underserved population, which relies on public funding for medical care.

Another barrier to access is that the public simply doesn’t know that there is an alternative to traditional hospital birth. The overuse of interventions including labor inducing drugs, epidurals, and cesarean sections has become the public’s idea of normal and good medical care. The unwillingness of hospital personnel to allow women to progress naturally through normal birth has robbed a generation of women of a sense of confidence in their own bodies.

Women have little choice but to go along with the prevailing trends in childbirth with results that may be disempowering, or worse, threaten the childbearing potential of many women. It is the mission of The Foundation for the Advancement of Midwifery to be sure that solid science and statistics showing the safety of the midwifery model of care for low-risk women are gathered, published and accessible.

We need more education, better maternity care policies, and more midwives!

Many organizations and individuals are working to make this happen. We at the Foundation for the Advancement of Midwifery are applying resources toward these solutions. We encourage you to learn more about our [ funded programs ] and how you can [ contribute ].

A critical mission of The Foundation for the Advancement of Midwifery is to ensure that solid science and statistics showing the safety of the midwifery model of care for low–risk women are gathered, published and accessible.