Midwifery Model of Care


The “Midwifery Model of Care” is based upon a foundation of these three principles:

Reciprocal Relationship: The client and her family are empowered to play a role in the decision-making regarding their care. This is a partnership based on continuous dialog, mutual respect, and trust. The midwife spends ample time getting to know you, listening to your needs and concerns, and answering your questions. Visits in our office will range from 30 to 90 minutes, and this entire time is spent with the midwife.


Midwife’s Body of Knowledge: A midwife’s training is based on what is normal. While she is trained to detect and treat problems where they arise, a midwife does not seek out or create abnormalities where they don’t exist. Midwives give clients and their families the information they need to make informed choices at all points in their care.


Birthing Environment: Midwives believe that all women deserve to be at the center of their birth experience. The midwife will be a continuous presence during your birth, whether you choose to give birth in a hospital or in a birth center. Our midwives will create a safe space where women can trust in birth and in the power of their own bodies.


At Geneva Woods Midwifery we believe very strongly in practicing the Midwifery Model of Care. This model of care lends itself best to birth outside the hospital, but even in the hospital we strive to preserve as much of the model as we can while adhering to hospital policies and our consulting physicians’ guidelines.


There are two kinds of midwives licensed in the State of Alaska: Certified Nurse Midwives, or CNMs, and Certified Direct-Entry Midwives, or CDMs. The latter’s name derives from the hands-on apprenticeship-style training that they do to directly enter the field instead of passing through a university. This document illustrates some of the main differences between these two types of providers: