Pregnancy comes with a lot of new experiences — and often, just as many questions. One of the first might be: what exactly does a midwife do?

While midwives are often associated with labour and birth, their role can extend well beyond the delivery room. Midwives are trained healthcare professionals who care for women throughout pregnancy, labour, birth and the early weeks after a baby is born.

From answering questions at prenatal appointments to supporting you through labour and helping you adjust to life with a newborn, a midwife can be an important source of care, information and reassurance during one of life’s biggest transitions.

What Is a Midwife?

A midwife is a qualified healthcare professional who specialises in pregnancy, childbirth and postnatal care.

Depending on where you live and the type of maternity care you choose, a midwife may be one of your main healthcare providers throughout pregnancy and birth.

Midwives can monitor the health and wellbeing of both you and your baby, provide education and emotional support, help you prepare for birth, and care for you during labour and the postnatal period.

Midwives also work alongside obstetricians, GPs, nurses and other healthcare professionals when additional or specialist care is needed.

What Does a Midwife Do During Pregnancy?

Your relationship with a midwife can begin long before labour.

During pregnancy, a midwife may provide regular antenatal appointments to monitor how you and your baby are progressing.

Depending on your individual circumstances and local healthcare system, this can include:

• Monitoring your general health and wellbeing

• Checking your blood pressure

• Monitoring your baby’s growth and development

• Listening to your baby’s heartbeat

• Arranging or discussing routine tests and screenings

• Talking through nutrition and healthy pregnancy habits

• Discussing physical and emotional changes during pregnancy

• Helping you understand your birth options

• Answering questions about labour, feeding and newborn care

• Identifying when additional medical assessment may be needed

These appointments are also an opportunity to ask questions — including the ones that might feel too small or silly to ask. Pregnancy is new territory for many parents, and it’s completely reasonable to have lots of questions along the way.

What Does a Midwife Do During Labour and Birth?

Labour and birth are perhaps the parts of midwifery care most people are familiar with.

During labour, a midwife monitors both you and your baby while providing practical and emotional support.

Their role may include monitoring the progress of labour, checking your baby’s wellbeing, helping you find comfortable positions and discussing your pain-management options.

They can also help you understand what’s happening as labour progresses so you can be involved in decisions about your care.

For an uncomplicated birth, a midwife may be the healthcare professional who supports you throughout labour and delivers your baby.

If complications arise or you require additional medical care, your midwife can work alongside obstetricians and other members of the maternity team.

What Happens After Your Baby Is Born?

Midwifery care doesn’t necessarily end once your baby arrives.

The hours, days and weeks after birth can bring an entirely new set of questions.

Your midwife may continue to monitor your recovery and your baby’s health during the early postnatal period.

Depending on where you live, postnatal midwifery care may include support with:

Feeding

Whether you’re breastfeeding, expressing, formula feeding or using a combination, your midwife can provide information and support.

Your recovery

Your midwife can check how you’re recovering physically after birth and discuss symptoms or concerns you may have.

Your baby’s wellbeing

This may include monitoring your baby’s weight, feeding, general health and development.

Newborn care

Those first few days can feel like a crash course in caring for a tiny new person. Your midwife can answer questions about nappies, bathing, settling, sleep and other aspects of newborn care.

Emotional wellbeing

The transition into parenthood can be significant. Midwives can also check in on how you’re feeling emotionally and help connect you with additional support when needed.

Midwife vs Obstetrician: What’s the Difference?

Both midwives and obstetricians provide maternity care, but their training and roles are different.

A midwife specialises in supporting pregnancy, labour, birth and postnatal care and commonly provides care for uncomplicated pregnancies and births.

An obstetrician is a medical doctor specialising in pregnancy and childbirth who can manage more complex pregnancies, complications and medical or surgical interventions, including caesarean births.

This doesn’t necessarily mean choosing one or the other.

Midwives and obstetricians frequently work together. If something arises during your pregnancy or labour that requires specialist medical attention, your midwife may refer you to or work alongside an obstetrician.

Can You Choose Your Midwife?

This depends largely on where you live and the maternity care system available to you.

Some parents can choose an individual midwife or midwifery practice and receive what’s known as continuity of care, where the same midwife or small team supports them throughout pregnancy, birth and the postnatal period.

In other healthcare settings, you may see different midwives at different appointments or during labour.

If having continuity with the same healthcare professional is important to you, it’s worth asking about your options early in pregnancy.

When Should You First See a Midwife?

It’s generally a good idea to contact a maternity healthcare provider early after finding out you’re pregnant.

Exactly when you’ll have your first midwife appointment varies depending on your location, healthcare system and individual circumstances.

Your first appointment will usually involve discussing your medical and pregnancy history, general health, expected due date and the care you may need throughout your pregnancy.

It’s also a great time to start asking questions.

You don’t need to arrive knowing exactly what kind of birth you want or having everything figured out. That’s part of what your pregnancy journey is for.

Your Midwife Is There for the Questions, Too

Pregnancy and becoming a parent aren’t just about medical appointments and checklists.

They’re filled with questions.

Is this normal?

When should I go to the hospital?

How will I know when labour starts?

How often should my newborn feed?

Why won’t my baby sleep?

Having access to reliable information and knowing when to seek professional support can make navigating these stages feel a little less overwhelming.

That’s also why we created Midwife Advice.

Guidance for Every Stage

From those first weeks of pregnancy to birth, newborn life and beyond, Midwife Advice is here to make reliable, practical information easier for growing families to understand.

Every pregnancy, birth and baby is different. The information on Midwife Advice is designed for general education and should not replace personalised advice from your midwife, doctor or other qualified healthcare professional. If you’re concerned about your health or your baby’s health, contact your healthcare provider.