Midwife Interview Guide

 
 

Choosing a midwife is an intimate decision—one that shapes your pregnancy, birth, and postpartum journey. These questions are offered as a gentle guide to help you find a midwife whose experience, values, and presence feel deeply aligned with your needs and intuition.

Experience & Roots

  1. What path led you to midwifery?

  2. What kind of midwife are you (CPM, CNM, CM), and how long have you been practicing? How long have you been a licensed midwife?

  3. How many births have you attended as the primary midwife?

  4. Do you have experience with births like mine (first baby, VBAC, breech, twins, etc.)?

  5. How often do you transfer care to a hospital, and what are the common reasons?

Philosophy & Presence

  1. How do you see your role in the birth space?

  2. How do you balance trusting the natural unfolding of birth with being prepared for the unexpected?

  3. What does informed choice mean to you, and how do you support it?

  4. How do you support laboring people emotionally, physically, and spiritually?

  5. What are your views on interventions like cervical checks, membrane sweeps, or herbs?

Safety & Steadiness

  1. What emergency equipment and medications do you bring to a birth?

  2. Are you certified in neonatal resuscitation and CPR?

  3. How do you recognize and respond to signs that something may be off-track?

  4. What’s your approach to hospital transfer, and who do you collaborate with if that becomes necessary?

  5. Do you work with a team or have a backup midwife in case you can’t attend?

Care Before, During & After Birth

  1. What does prenatal care with you feel like? How long are visits, and what do they include?

  2. Will you be the one at my birth, or might someone else attend?

  3. How do you support the immediate postpartum time—for both baby and parent?

  4. How many postpartum visits do you offer, and what happens during them?

  5. Do you offer nursing support, or referrals if needed?

Trust, Boundaries & Integrity

  1. Are there births or health situations that fall outside your scope of practice?

  2. What kinds of situations would cause you to refer or decline to attend a birth?

  3. How do you communicate about risk or disagreement in care decisions?

  4. Can you share a time you referred a family to another provider, and why?

  5. What continues to call you to midwifery work?

 

You can download this guide for free here: Midwife Interview Questions