The World Health Organization (WHO) wants more countries to let midwives take the lead on pregnancy and childbirth care instead of treating them like assistants to doctors, according to new guidance. The idea could save over 4 million lives every year by 2035 if countries actually follow through on it. Women who get their care from skilled midwives tend to have healthier births and feel better about the whole experience. But right now, too many women are still giving birth without anyone qualified helping them, especially in poorer countries where the situation hasn’t gotten much better since 2016.
Here’s what midwifery care actually looks like – midwives let women walk around during labor, teach them how to breathe through contractions, try different birthing positions, and provide emotional support throughout the process. It’s about helping women trust that their bodies know what to do instead of immediately reaching for medical interventions. Some countries now do cesarean sections in over half of all births, which suggests a lot of unnecessary procedures that can create problems for both mothers and babies.
WHO’s Anshu Banerjee, who runs their maternal health programs, says putting midwives in charge is one of the smartest ways to improve pregnancy outcomes worldwide. It’s not just about better health – it also makes better use of healthcare money and can work in rich and poor countries alike. The key difference is building real relationships between women and the people taking care of them during pregnancy and birth.
The guidance comes with practical advice for countries that want to make the switch, but governments need to actually commit money and political support to make it happen. Countries have to train midwives properly and let them work independently while still being part of medical teams when things go wrong. It’s not enough to just say midwives are important – you have to fund their education and give them the authority to do their jobs.
Millions of women around the world still don’t have anyone skilled helping them give birth, and a third don’t even get basic pregnancy checkups. If every woman had access to a trained midwife, it could prevent more than 60% of deaths during pregnancy and childbirth – that’s 4.3 million families who wouldn’t lose a mother or baby every year.
