Midwives can play key role in aiding America's maternal mortality crisis [View all]

Ashley Watts is getting ready to become a first-time mom.

“This pregnancy ride has been very fulfilling,” Watts, 32, told ABC News.

For Watts, this pregnancy journey is different. She has previously suffered five pregnancy losses, telling ABC News that she now suffers from hospital anxiety after feeling dismissed and unsupported by her doctors as she tried to navigate those losses and pursue motherhood.

When she learned of her most recent pregnancy, Watts decided she wanted to work with a midwife and dreamed of welcoming her baby into the world at a birthing center. The cost of midwifery care, however, was a barrier in allowing Watts access to the care she felt was better suited to her needs.

A 2021 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that midwife-assisted home births in the United States cost an average of $4,650. In many cases, insurance does not cover these births, according to the study.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/midwives-rx-americas-maternal-mortality-crisis/story?id=111420190

We can and must rethink the role of midwives. A properly trained and certified midwife can spot problems and refer to an OB immediately, likewise can spot postpartum problems. This is how it's done in the rest of the civilized world.