Should you choose an obstetrician-gynecologist or midwife?

If your pregnancy is complicated, then you should choose an obstetrician-gynecologist. Obstetrician gynecologists are full medical doctors and are able to perform cesarean sections and other emergency treatments during a difficult delivery.Midwives are specialists in pregnancy and childbirth who are an excellent choice for an uncomplicated pregnancy. They will offer other options for birth care as well, such as home births and home-like freestanding birth centers. However, they aren't trained to perform the same sort of emergency procedures as obstetrician-gynecologist.

Midwife Vs. Obstetrician-Gynecologist: What’s The Difference?

Everyone knows that both midwives and obstetrician-gynecologists (sometimes abbreviated as ob-gyn) deliver babies, but the exact difference between them may not be clear. After all, both of them are trained in pregnancy care, childbirth, and postpartum, along with being experts in women’s health.

The short answer is that obstetrician-gynecologists are medical doctors, while midwives aren’t. That doesn’t mean that midwives aren’t highly trained medical professionals, but they haven’t gone through full medical school, a residency, and a fellowship.

Key Takeaways:

Midwife	Obstetrician Gynecologist
Midwives are medical professionals that are trained in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care.	Obstetrician gynecologists are medical doctors that specialize in women’s health and anatomy, most especially pregnancy, delivery, and aftercare.
There are three certifications of a midwife: certified professional midwife, certified midwife, and certified nurse-midwife. They require different levels of education.	There are two kinds of obstetrician-gynecologists: those that are board certified and those that are board eligible. Board certified is more prestigious and more likely to provide better care.
While midwives work in hospitals, they’ll also work outside them. They provide home birth services, as well as staff freestanding birth centers that aren’t affiliated with a hospital.	As a rule, obstetrician-gynecologists will only do delivery services in a hospital setting. This is because they need to be properly equipped to deal with emergencies or complications.
Nurse-midwives make a median salary of $70,000 per year.	Obstetrician gynecologists average about $190,000 per year.

What Is a Midwife?

A midwife is a medical professional that specializes in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care. Many midwives are also trained in other aspects of women’s health, such as menopause care, but what they’re most known for is their expertise in childbirth.

There are three levels of midwives, depending on what sort of education and training they have.

Certified Professional Midwife. This is a midwife that has gone through the required training and demonstrated their knowledge and skill sufficient to be certified by the North American Registry of Midwives.
Certified Midwife. Someone with this certification will have completed a postgraduate degree in midwifery and be certified by the American Midwifery Certification Board.
Certified Nurse-Midwife. This is someone who has gotten a nursing degree and has also been certified as a midwife. So, as the name implies, they are both a nurse and a midwife.

As you can see, you don’t need to be either a nurse or a physician in order to practice midwifery. That means that while midwives specialize in pregnancy care, they may not be the best choice for someone with a high-risk pregnancy due to their lack of high-level medical knowledge.

They are also limited in their ability to prescribe and administer medications due to not having to be a doctor.

What Is an Obstetrician-Gynecologist?

An obstetrician-gynecologist is a medical doctor that specializes in pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, as well as general women’s health and anatomy. In order to be considered full doctors, obstetrician-gynecologists must complete four years of medical school, a three-year residency, as well as a three-year fellowship.

There are two levels of obstetrician-gynecologists, though it’s more a matter of prestige than anything else.

Board Eligible Obstetrician-Gynecologist. Once obstetrician-gynecologist has completed their residency and gotten a license to practice medicine, they can apply for a certification from the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Board Certified Obstetrician-Gynecologist. Obstetrician gynecologists who are board certified show that they have a good reputation and have gone beyond the minimum education required to get their license.

Because of obstetrician gynecologists’ high level of medical knowledge, they’re better for high-risk pregnancies. They are more familiar with the issues that may occur, but most importantly, they are trained and able to perform a cesarean section – both emergency and planned.

Tips for Becoming a Midwife

While midwives are required to have a higher education, it’s not at the same level as a full medical doctor.
They are also almost entirely specialized in pregnancy, birth, and aftercare, meaning that if that’s the area you want to work in, midwives are laser-focused on it.
Midwives don’t always oversee births in hospitals. They can also be involved in other types of birthing situations, like:
- Home births. Midwives can help oversee and assist a birth at home if that’s what their patient wishes for.
- Freestanding birth centers. There are facilities that offer midwives and other birthing services but aren’t attached to a hospital. Some have an obstetrician-gynecologist as staff, and some don’t.
Because midwives will work outside hospital settings, they often also do alternate pain treatments. One currently popular one is water births. Midwives are likely to be more familiar with the particulars and be at a place that’s set up for them.

Tips for Becoming an Obstetrician Gynecologist

Obstetrician gynecologists are full medical doctors, which means that they need to go through the full rigors of medical school and residency before they can practice medicine.
Almost without exception, obstetrician-gynecologists will work in hospitals when it comes to baby delivery.
Obstetrician gynecologists usually work with other aspects of women’s health as well, such as usual gynecological checkups.
Obstetrician gynecologists are trained to perform cesarean sections and administer pain medication, meaning that you can get high-level pain treatment from them.

Midwife vs. Obstetrician Gynecologist FAQ

Should you choose an obstetrician-gynecologist or midwife?

If your pregnancy is complicated, then you should choose an obstetrician-gynecologist. Obstetrician gynecologists are full medical doctors and are able to perform cesarean sections and other emergency treatments during a difficult delivery.

Midwives are specialists in pregnancy and childbirth who are an excellent choice for an uncomplicated pregnancy. They will offer other options for birth care as well, such as home births and home-like freestanding birth centers. However, they aren’t trained to perform the same sort of emergency procedures as obstetrician-gynecologist.

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Author

Di Doherty

Di has been a writer for more than half her life. Most of her writing so far has been fiction, and she’s gotten short stories published in online magazines Kzine and Silver Blade, as well as a flash fiction piece in the Bookends review. Di graduated from Mary Baldwin College (now University) with a degree in Psychology and Sociology.

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