"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience." Ralph Waldo Emerson
What does the word "midwife" mean?
"Midwife" is a word that comes from the old English words mit wif, literally meaning "with woman." A midwife is a person who assists women in pregnancy and childbirth. Some people also use the word midwife as a verb, meaning to help give birth, as in "She 'midwifed' the project." The art of being a midwife is called "midwifery" (pronounced mid-whiff-err-ee).
A midwife is qualified to give the necessary care and advice to women during pregnancy, labor and the postnatal period, to conduct normal deliveries on her own responsibility, and to care for the newly born infant as well as having training in gynecology and child care. At all times, a midwife must be able to recognize the warning signs of abnormal or potentially abnormal conditions which necessitate referral to a doctor, and to carry out emergency measures in the absence of medical help.
Do midwives practice throughout the world?
Throughout the world, midwives fall into three general types. First, there are the midwives with formal training (either in a school or apprenticeship, who have met a specific standard for education and experience) but are not trained in the discipline of nursing. This is the system primarily used in the
Netherlands, Denmark, and some other European countries. These are professional midwives. Then there are the nurse-midwives, midwives who have taken a course in midwifery after completing the usual course for professional nurses in their country. This is the kind of midwife most common in the British Isles, Israel, and the urban areas of Africa. Finally, there is the traditional birth attendant, or indigenous midwife. This is a midwife who practices primarily within the contours of a traditional ethnic or cultural group, who may or may not have any formal training or education. These midwives are found throughout the world, and are quite common in rural areas of Latin America, Africa, and the third and fourth worlds.
In the United States, all three basic types of midwife co-exist. Certification exist for the nurse-midwife and the professional midwife. All 50 states license nurse-midwives. Professional midwives are licensed in many states, and there is a move for licensure in many more. A few states offer licensure for traditional birth attendants, or allow them to practice under limited conditions. Some states consider the practice of midwifery to be the practice of medicine, others do not. It can be very confusing for the consumer, and things change frequently. But certification (CPM, certified professional midwife, or CNM, certified nurse-midwife) is evidence that the midwife has attained competency in various areas considered "core competencies" for midwifery practice, and has passed a standardized examination on these topics.
Do midwives practice in a variety of settings?
Traditional birth attendants usually attend women at the women's homes (or other culturally designated birth place). Professional midwives in the USA usually practice at home or in birth centers. Nurse-midwives practice primarily in hospitals and birth centers. Midwives usually have some kind of arrangement to transfer care to a surgeon or physician if the woman develops a complication during pregnancy, labor, birth, or the time after birth.
What makes care with a midwife different?
Since midwives are specialists in normal pregnancies, they often take more time in a prenatal visit (as opposed to 5 - 10 minutes for a 'belly check'). They have a strong commitment to keeping things normal, so they will often ask questions about how you are feeling, how you are eating, what's going on in the rest of your life. These are not to be nosy, but rather to help you identify areas where you can help yourself to have the healthiest possible pregnancy and birth experience. Midwives tend to see prenatal care as a partnership between themselves and the pregnant family, the family being the senior partner in the firm.
In labor, midwives usually provide not just medically oriented care but also labor support. This may include things like showing you (or your helpers) ways to cope with pain: like getting into water, changing positions, and massage techniques. In some ways, the midwife is like a tour guide, pointing out the signposts as you journey from pregnancy to birth, and keeping you from going the wrong way on a one way street or otherwise getting into trouble in unfamiliar territory. The tour guide doesn't tell you what country to visit, just how to get around once you get there. The midwife helps you to get the best birth you can with what you are given in the way of labor, baby, and so on. But you are also expected to do your part, to give birth rather than being delivered.
Does having a midwife guarantee that everything will go perfectly?
Birth is a natural process, and just like everything else in life, sometimes things go awry. Wearing a seat belt doesn't guarantee that you won't get hurt in a car accident, but it certainly is safer. Sometimes, despite everything, whether the birth occurs at a hospital or at home, it just doesn't go right. Babies are born with birth defects, or prematurely, or even sometimes die. Moms get sick, get high blood pressure, or bleed too much. Good care, like you get from a midwife, helps reduce the chance that you will have a serious problem, but there are no guarantees in life. Midwives recognize this, and are prepared to help you deal with whatever life sends you. Since their training emphasizes looking at the whole person, body, spirit, and psyche, they are often uniquely able to help you. Care with a midwife is for most women and their families, a very safe and satisfying experience.
What does the word "midwife" mean? 
Do midwives practice throughout the world?
In the United States, all three basic types of midwife co-exist. Certification exist for the nurse-midwife and the professional midwife. All 50 states license nurse-midwives. Professional midwives are licensed in many states, and there is a move for licensure in many more. A few states offer licensure for traditional birth attendants, or allow them to practice under limited conditions. Some states consider the practice of midwifery to be the practice of medicine, others do not. It can be very confusing for the consumer, and things change frequently. But certification (CPM, certified professional midwife, or CNM, certified nurse-midwife) is evidence that the midwife has attained competency in various areas considered "core competencies" for midwifery practice, and has passed a standardized examination on these topics. 
Do midwives practice in a variety of settings?
What makes care with a midwife different? 
In labor, midwives usually provide not just medically oriented care but also labor support. This may include things like showing you (or your helpers) ways to cope with pain: like getting into water, changing positions, and massage techniques. In some ways, the midwife is like a tour guide, pointing out the signposts as you journey from pregnancy to birth, and keeping you from going the wrong way on a one way street or otherwise getting into trouble in unfamiliar territory. The tour guide doesn't tell you what country to visit, just how to get around once you get there. The midwife helps you to get the best birth you can with what you are given in the way of labor, baby, and so on. But you are also expected to do your part, to give birth rather than being delivered. 
Does having a midwife guarantee that everything will go perfectly?