Finding a midwife starts with knowing what type you need, where you want to give birth, and how to verify credentials. About 12% of all U.S. births are now attended by midwives, and that number continues to grow. Whether you’re planning a hospital birth, considering a birth center, or exploring a home birth, the search process is straightforward once you know where to look and what to ask.
Know the Three Types of Midwives
Not all midwives have the same training, and the type you choose affects where you can give birth, what your insurance covers, and what medical services your midwife can provide.
Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) are registered nurses who completed graduate school in midwifery. They’re certified by the American Midwifery Certification Board and licensed in all 50 states. CNMs can prescribe medications, order lab tests, and diagnose medical conditions. They practice in hospitals, birth centers, and home settings. If you want a midwife-attended hospital birth, a CNM is typically your clearest path.
Certified Midwives (CMs) also hold graduate degrees in midwifery and pass the same certification exam as CNMs, but they are not nurses. CMs are recognized in fewer states, so you’ll need to check whether your state licenses them.
Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) are certified by the North American Registry of Midwives. Their training can come through an accredited midwifery program or through an apprenticeship model combined with a portfolio evaluation. CPMs primarily attend births at home or in freestanding birth centers. Over 35 states currently license, certify, or register CPMs, but roughly a dozen states have no formal regulation, which can affect insurance coverage and the availability of collaborative physician agreements.
Decide Where You Want to Give Birth
Your preferred birth setting narrows the search significantly. Each setting comes with different levels of medical support, and the type of midwife available depends on which one you choose.
Hospital-based midwifery practices are staffed by CNMs (and sometimes CMs) who work within a hospital’s labor and delivery unit. You have immediate access to anesthesia, surgical teams, and neonatal care if complications arise. For low-risk pregnancies, midwife-attended hospital births have notably lower cesarean rates. A 2023 study in Obstetrics & Gynecology found that low-risk patients receiving midwifery care in hospitals had a cesarean rate of 8.9%, compared to 15.2% for those under obstetrician-led care.
Freestanding birth centers operate independently from hospitals and are typically staffed by CNMs or CPMs. No medical induction of labor happens in a birth center. Research consistently shows birth center care is associated with lower cesarean rates, fewer medical interventions, and higher satisfaction with care. These centers maintain collaborative agreements with nearby hospitals, so if a transfer becomes necessary, there’s an established protocol. You should ask any birth center how far the nearest hospital is and what their transfer process looks like.
Home birth midwives are most often CPMs, though some CNMs also attend home births. If you’re considering this route, confirming that your midwife has a formal collaborative arrangement with a physician and a clear hospital transfer plan is essential.
Where to Search for Midwives Near You
Several directories make it easy to find credentialed midwives in your area. The American College of Nurse-Midwives maintains an online “Find a Midwife” tool where you can search by zip code for CNMs and CMs. For CPMs, the North American Registry of Midwives offers a searchable registry. The American Association of Birth Centers lists accredited birth centers if you’re looking for that specific setting.
Your insurance company’s provider directory is another practical starting point. CNMs are covered by most private insurance plans and by Medicaid in all states. Coverage for CPMs and birth center births varies more widely by state and insurer, so calling your plan before committing to a provider saves time. Ask specifically whether the midwife you’re considering is in-network and whether out-of-hospital birth is a covered benefit.
You can also verify any midwife’s active certification status through the American Midwifery Certification Board (for CNMs and CMs) or the North American Registry of Midwives (for CPMs). Every credentialed midwife also has a National Provider Identifier number, which you can look up in the NPI Registry to confirm their practice details.
Questions to Ask Before You Commit
Once you’ve identified a few midwives, schedule a consultation. Most practices offer a free or low-cost introductory visit. The goal is to assess both clinical competence and personal fit, because your midwife will be your primary care provider throughout pregnancy, labor, and the postpartum period.
Start with logistics and safety:
- What conditions would require a hospital transfer? Concerns about labor progress, abnormal fetal heart rate, significant bleeding, and high blood pressure are among the most common reasons for transfer.
- How long would a transfer take, and how would it happen? This matters most for birth center and home birth midwives.
- Do you have a collaborative agreement with a physician or hospital? A midwife with a formal backup arrangement can provide smoother, safer transitions if complications develop.
- If I transfer, do you come with me, and what’s your role? Some midwives stay through delivery in a support role; others hand off care entirely.
Then ask about their practice style:
- How many births do you attend per month? This tells you how likely it is that your midwife will be available when you go into labor versus a backup covering for them.
- What does your prenatal care schedule look like? Midwifery appointments are often longer than typical OB visits, sometimes 30 to 60 minutes, with more time for questions and education.
- What’s your cesarean rate? Your transfer rate? These numbers give you a concrete sense of how the practice handles complications.
Midwives Do More Than Deliver Babies
Many people find a midwife during pregnancy and then keep seeing one for years. CNMs provide a full range of reproductive and gynecological care: annual exams, Pap tests, breast exams, contraception and family planning, STI screening and treatment, and menopause management. They see patients from adolescence through post-menopause. If you’re looking for a primary care provider for reproductive health who takes a less intervention-heavy approach, a CNM can fill that role whether or not you’re planning a pregnancy.
What Makes You a Good Candidate for Midwifery Care
Midwifery care is designed for people with low-risk pregnancies. That means a single baby in a head-down position, no significant chronic conditions like uncontrolled diabetes or severe heart disease, and no history of complications like prior cesarean birth (though some midwifery practices do support vaginal birth after cesarean in a hospital setting).
Throughout pregnancy and labor, your midwife continuously reassesses your risk status. If something changes, like developing high blood pressure, carrying a baby measuring unusually large or small, or labor stalling for an extended period, your midwife will consult with or refer you to a physician. This isn’t a failure of the plan. It’s the system working as designed. The best midwifery practices have seamless referral relationships precisely because complications aren’t always predictable.
If you have a known high-risk condition from the start, an obstetrician is the appropriate primary provider. Some people in this situation still hire a midwife in a doula-like support role, but the clinical management belongs with the OB.
Check Your State’s Licensing Rules
Your search depends heavily on where you live. States like Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, and Texas license both CNMs and CPMs and have well-established home birth and birth center infrastructure. In states like Connecticut, Georgia, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, CPMs have no formal licensure, which can limit your out-of-hospital options and make insurance reimbursement difficult or impossible.
If you live in a state where CPMs aren’t regulated, you can still find CNMs practicing in hospitals and some birth centers. But if a home birth with a CPM is your goal, check the North American Registry of Midwives’ state-by-state chart to understand your legal landscape before you start interviewing providers. Knowing the rules upfront prevents the frustration of building a relationship with a midwife whose services your insurance won’t cover or whose practice operates in a legal gray area.