Our Florida birth injury lawyers noted a recent article in the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics evaluating neonatal mortality rates following midwife training in Essential Neonatal Care (ENC). Specifically, the midwives studied cleanliness, neonatal care, resuscitation, breast feeding and small infant care. The results showed a decrease in neonatal mortality from 11.5 per 1000 to 6.8 per 1000 in live births after receiving the training.
As a Miami hospital mistake attorney, I urge everyone considering the use of a midwife to understand that midwives are not medical doctors and are taught not to intervene in labor unless necessary. We also recommend contemplate the following;
1. The midwife is licensed and over the age of 21.
2. Only appropriately used in low-risk pregnancies.
3. The midwife Is accredited by the American College of Nurse-Midwives and certified by the American Midwifery Certification Board.
4. Florida’s Midwife Statute §467.014 does not require malpractice insurance.
5. Verify that the midwife has a written plan for emergency complications.
Florida Statute §467.014 “A licensed midwife shall include in the informed consent plan presented to the parents the status of the midwife’s malpractice insurance, including the amount of malpractice insurance, if any.”
