Midwives provide high-quality, safe, patient-centered care that is of similar quality as physicians for low-risk pregnancies and births in hospitals. Rigorous research has also found that planned home birth for low-risk women, typically attended by licensed midwives, has similar intrapartum and neonatal mortality as low-risk hospital births.

The midwifery model of care has benefits for low-risk pregnancies and births, including:  

• reduced infant mortality rates
• reduced need for interventions and inductions
• higher satisfaction rates with quality of care
• reduced risk of preterm births
• reduced risk for having a cesarean delivery

Studies have found that these benefits are even greater in hospitals where there is a larger percentage of midwives delivering babies.

Midwives play important roles in expanding access to care; they are more likely than physicians to practice in rural communities and Health Professional Shortage Areas. Midwives also are more likely to care for people who are insured by Medi-Cal or who do not have health insurance.

Midwives attend births outside hospitals, in birth centers and homes, which is attractive to many people. The Listening to Mothers in California survey conducted in 2017 reported that 40% of respondents were interested in a birth center birth, with Black women expressing the greatest interest.

More information about the benefits of midwives to access to care, quality of care, and costs of care can be found in this report.