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Where do certified nurse-midwives in the United States usually attend births?
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midwifery
Midwives assisting a birth while astrologers consult sky charts; woodcut relief print from Jakob Rueff's De conceptu et generatione hominis (1554; The Expert Midwife).
In the United States, certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) primarily attend births in hospitals and formal birth centres.1
While traditional midwives have historically focused on home births, the practice of nurse-midwifery in the U.S. evolved to integrate the natural approach of midwifery with the safety and technological resources available in clinical settings. Although midwives of various designations may attend births in homes, hospitals, or birth centres, the professional practice of certified nurse-midwives is distinguished by its emphasis on these formal medical environments.12