Midwives Alliance of North America
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In 1982, The Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA) was established as a professional organization for midwives. Its stated goal is to unify and strengthen the profession of midwifery and the organization states that this will improve the quality of health care for women, babies, and communities.
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 written examinations and tests of clinical experience and skills.
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[edit] Midwifery in history and today
Around the world, and throughout most of history up until the last few decade, women have labored and birthed with midwives.
The MANA approach to childbirth includes hands-on care before, during, and after 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.
Countries such as the Netherlands, Sweden and New Zealand use midwives as their main maternity care providers while other counties, including the United States, recognize midwives as a legitimate alternative to doctor-assisted birthing.
[edit] Midwife's role
The role of a midwife is to monitor labor, guiding and supporting the birthing woman through the birth process.
[edit] Midwifery and women's health
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[citation needed]. Other studies have found that there is no difference in infant mortality between midwife-attended and physician-attended births for low-risk women[citation needed].
[edit] Stated goals of MANA
The organization states that[citation needed] its goals are:
- 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 membership includes midwives and student midwives, supportive healthcare providers, and families.
Membership benefits include:
- A subscription to the quarterly MANA News, which includes updates on advocacy efforts
- Discounts to conferences
- Access to the MANA "Members Only" section including information such as statistics related to the profession.
- Local and national events related to midwifery
