Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA)
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In 1982, The Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA) was established as a professional organization for all midwives, recognizing the diversity of educational backgrounds and practice styles within the profession. Its goal is to unify and strengthen the profession of midwifery, thereby improving the quality of health care for women, babies, and communities.
As a leader in midwifery, MANA has been at the forefront of developing midwifery credentialing and educational organizations. In particular, the North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) oversees a competency-based certification process for midwives, granting the title of Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) to those passing rigorous written examinations and testing of clinical experience and skills.
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[edit] Midwifery
Around the world, and throughout most of history, women have labored and birthed with midwives. It is only in the last few decades that it has become common in the U.S. to birth in a hospital setting with a doctor. Being pregnant and giving birth are normal life processes for which a woman’s body is well-designed. Midwifery care has been proven to be a safe and nurturing alternative to physician-attended hospital birth.
The Midwives Model of Care is a fundamentally different approach to pregnancy and childbirth. Midwifery care is uniquely nurturing, hands-on care before, during, and after birth. Midwives are health care professionals specializing in pregnancy and childbirth who develop a trusting relationship with their clients which results in confident, supported labor and birth.
While there are different types of midwives practicing in various settings, all midwives are trained to provide comprehensive prenatal care and education, guide labor and birth, address complications, and care for newborns.
[edit] Your Birth, Your Way
A midwife-attended birth gives a woman a measure of control generally unavailable with a physician—the freedom to move, eat, bathe, or whatever else might help her labor and birth more confidently. The role of a midwife is to monitor labor, guiding and supporting the birthing woman safely through the birth process. For many women, care with a midwife allows them to birth their way, safely and naturally, supported by the people they love. Many studies show that midwifery care through labor and delivery lowers complication rates and reduces the likelihood of unnecessary cesarean section.
[edit] Healthier Outcomes, Healthier Communities
The safety and benefits of midwifery care have been proven again and again in countries across the world. World Health Organization statistics show that births attended by midwives have lower infection rates, lower C-section rates, fewer complications and healthier outcomes—thus, lower overall medical costs—than physician-attended hospital births. In addition, there is no difference in infant mortality between midwife-attended and physician-attended births for low-risk women. Countries such as the Netherlands, Sweden and New Zealand which have the best birth outcome statistics in the world use midwives as their main maternity care providers.
MANA is committed to advocating for women’s access to a full-range of birth options. If you are a legislator, hospital administrator or health insurance policymaker, MANA can show you how the Midwives Model of CareTM can benefit your constituents and your community.
[edit] A Community of Colleagues
MANA is the only professional organization uniting and representing all North American midwives, inclusive of all midwifery educational backgrounds and practice styles. If you are a midwife, MANA can provide you with a forum for professional dialog with your peers about the practice issues you face every day. The organization offers a structure of communication and support for midwives practicing in all settings.
[edit] Goals of MANA
- To expand communication and support among North American midwives
- To form an identifiable and cohesive organization representing the profession of midwifery on a regional, national, and international basis.
- To promote guidelines for the education of midwives and to assist in the development of midwifery education programs
- To promote research in the field of midwifery as a quality health care option
- To promote and support a woman's right to choose her care provider and place of birth
- To promote public education and midwifery advocacy
[edit] MANA Membership
MANA welcomes as members all midwives and student midwives, supportive healthcare providers, and families. Membership benefits include:
- A subscription to the quarterly MANA News.
- Discounts to conferences in both the U.S. and Mexico with Spanish and English tracks.
- Addition of your name to the midwife referral list. We receive 6-10 referral requests per day for midwives across the continent! Click here for more information about the referral list.
- Access to the MANA "Members Only" section with a chat area, guestbook, and previously published Statistics Project reports. Soon we will be adding sample midwifery practice documents and other items of interest to MANA members.
- Being part of the global dialogue on midwifery.
- Receiving support from your Seat or Regional Representative.
- Receiving support and information as your state or province works on their own midwifery legislation
- Dialogue among all kinds of midwives
- Support for autonomous midwifery practice
- Support for midwifery in all settings
- Networking with other organizations
- Access to grassroots organizing and community action
- Knowledge that your membership fees support the on-going work of MANA in establishing midwifery as an independent profession and educating the public regarding childbirth options.
MANA welcomes participation in its many committee-based activities and welcomes as members all midwives and student midwives, supportive healthcare providers in complementary professions, and consumers.
