Resource
Research Your Midwife
The information mothers should have is mostly already public — it just sits in places nobody tells you to look.
Explore the public databases for the midwives and birth centers in your state. (Records last verified by the Foundation in 2018; if you find a broken or outdated link, please tell us.)
A 5-step verification checklist
- License verification. Look up your midwife by name and license number on your state Department of Health's license-verification site. Note whether the license is active, lapsed, or restricted.
- Disciplinary actions. Search the same site for any "Emergency Restriction Order," "Emergency Suspension Order," or formal disciplinary action. A general Google search of the midwife's name plus those phrases is often faster than the official site.
- Hospital admitting privileges. If your midwife claims admitting privileges at a particular hospital, call that hospital and verify directly. Privileges are not automatically transferred between hospitals and they expire.
- Malpractice insurance. Ask in writing whether your midwife carries malpractice insurance, and which carrier and policy limit. Note: many out-of-hospital midwives do not carry it.
- Realistic transfer time. From the birthing center or home address, time the drive to the nearest hospital at the hour you would actually deliver, accounting for ambulance call-out and loading time.
State midwifery boards
Each state regulates midwifery differently. Below are the verification sites we've collected; if your state is missing, contribute via the contact form.
- Florida — Florida MQA license search
- Other states — directory in progress.