A Midwife for Every Kentucky Community
Reclaiming health, birth, and vitality for ourselves and our communities
What Is Midwives of Kentucky?
Midwives of Kentucky houses the efforts of the Kentucky Midwifery Learning Collaborative, a multi-stakeholder group united by a shared vision: fostering high-quality healthcare and enhancing midwifery integration across the state. This is also the home of the Kentucky Affiliate of A.C.N.M., the state-wide advocacy group affiliated with the American College of Nurse Midwives.
We aspire to highlight and amplify the integral role Kentucky midwives play in improving healthcare.
Our Mission
Our mission is to strengthen Kentucky families by advancing community-based solutions and expanding access to midwife-led care.
Through these efforts, we aim to improve health outcomes and make quality healthcare accessible to every Kentuckian, in every community.
Why Do Kentucky Communities Need Midwives?
To better understand why Kentucky communities need midwives, we must first look at the current state of healthcare in Kentucky.
Perinatal care in Kentucky is in crisis. Our state has among the worst infant and maternal mortality rates in the United States. The maternal mortality rate is 40.8 deaths /100,000 live births, which is twice the national average of 17.4. Preterm birth rates are high at 11.3 %, and this rate is 30% higher for black babies. Over 330,000 Kentucky women live in a maternity care desert. Of 120 Kentucky counties, 81 do not have a hospital with a labor and delivery unit. Only 31 of the 120 counties have a CNM. Additionally, Kentucky has no birth centers. There are currently 384 birth centers across the country. Kentucky is one of only nine states without any birth centers. These statistics represent opportunities to utilize the excellent outcomes of midwifery-led care in Kentucky.
Check out Kentucky’s 2024 March of Dimes Report Card for more information highlighting key indicators to describe the current state of maternal and infant health. This report provides updated rates and grades for preterm birth as well as data on infant mortality, leading causes of infant death, and maternal health. Indicators by maternal race/ethnicity are included to underscore the persistent impact of racism in our systems and communities, with the goal of eliminating health inequities.
Kentucky communities need midwives because they provide personalized, holistic care that addresses gaps in the healthcare system, especially in rural and underserved areas.
Here's why midwives are essential:
Improved Access to Care
Many areas in Kentucky lack healthcare providers, particularly for maternity and primary care. According to the latest HRSA data, KY is 100 FTE (full-time equivalncy) short of having enough physicians or midwives to care for the current patient demand. This workforce shortage is likely to grow rapidly as 30% of all practicing OB/GYNs in KY are over 60 years old. Better integration of Midwives into existing healthcare structures can provide much needed relief by offering accessible, community-centered care that meets people where they are.
Better Maternal and Infant Health Outcomes
States with higher midwifery integration often see lower rates of preterm births, low birth weight, and cesarean sections. Midwives focus on preventative care, education, shared decision-making, and trauma-informed care leading to greater healthcare engagement.
Culturally Responsive and Personalized Care
Midwives prioritize building relationships and tailoring care to the individual needs of families, respecting cultural, economic, and social contexts. This approach fosters trust and improves overall health experiences.
Cost-Effective Care
Midwife-led care is associated with lower medical intervention rates and shorter hospital stays, reducing healthcare costs while maintaining high-quality outcomes.
Empowering Families
By emphasizing education and shared decision-making, midwives empower parents to take an active role in their health and their family's well-being.
Support for Rural and Underserved Areas
Kentucky's rural areas often face provider shortages and long distances to hospitals. Midwives can provide essential care locally, reducing barriers to care.Integrating midwifery care into existing practices could keep critical access hospitals at risk of closing labor departments.
Holistic Health and Wellness
Beyond maternity care, many midwives offer primary and reproductive healthcare, addressing broader health needs and improving continuity of care for individuals and families.
Investing in midwifery ensures healthier births, stronger families, and more equitable healthcare access for all Kentuckians.
What is Midwifery?
The Midwifery Model of Care
Midwives are experts in normal birth and view pregnancy and birth as a normal life process. Most people know midwives as birth attendants but do not realize midwives provide a wide range of care throughout the lifespan, offering services to women of all ages and stages of life.
Midwives emphasize the promotion and maintenance of health and the provision of safe healthcare, all while striving to empower women and families to make informed choices.
Midwives function within a healthcare system that includes collaborative relationships with other healthcare professionals in a variety of professional cultures and settings.
In Kentucky, there are primarily two types of midwives. Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs) and Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs)
The heat map above shows the different percentages of total midwife-attended births in each state in 2018. Percentages of midwife-attended births are lower in the middle and southern U.S., whereas higher percentages can be found in Alaska and the western and northeastern U.S. These data combine births attended by Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs) and “other midwives” (most of whom are certified professional midwives), therefore a map displaying percentages for one kind of midwife or the other may appear different.