National Midwifery Week 2026 runs from October 4 to 10. The American College of Nurse-Midwives holds it each year during the first full week of October to recognize midwives and midwife-led care. For students drawn to maternity care, it is a good moment to plan observation that shows the full arc of care, not only the birth itself.
Many students picture midwifery as labor and delivery. On a real maternity service, much of the work happens before and after birth: prenatal visits, monitoring, explanation, recovery and early infant feeding. IMA’s look at maternal health in sub-Saharan Africa gives useful background before you observe in a lower-resource setting.
Use the Week to Ask a Better Career Question
ACNM describes National Midwifery Week as its way to celebrate and recognize midwives and midwife-led care. A productive way for a prospective student to mark it is to replace “Do I want to deliver babies?” with “Which parts of maternity care do I understand, and which have I not seen yet?”
That question gives your next observation a purpose. If you have only read about labor, pay attention to prenatal and postpartum care. If you have seen one hospital, ask how care is organized in a different health system.
Why Does Skilled Care at Birth Matter So Much?
The World Health Organization’s maternal mortality fact sheet reports that about 260,000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth in 2023, and that approximately 92% of those deaths occurred in low- and lower-middle-income countries. The WHO states that most maternal deaths are preventable and that care by skilled health professionals before, during and after childbirth can save the lives of women and newborns.
The same fact sheet notes that in most high-income and upper-middle-income countries, approximately 99% of births benefit from a trained midwife, doctor or nurse, compared with 73% in low-income countries and 84% in lower-middle-income countries. Those figures describe whole countries. They do not tell you about any single hospital, but they explain why staffing, referral routes and follow-up are worth asking about when you observe.
What Does a Certified Nurse-Midwife Do in the U.S.?
In the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics explains that nurse midwives provide care to women, including gynecological exams, family planning services and prenatal care, and also deliver babies and manage emergencies during labor. They are licensed registered nurses who typically hold at least a master’s degree in an advanced practice nursing field and pass a national certification exam. BLS counts about 8,200 nurse midwife jobs in 2025, with a median annual wage of $134,040 in May 2025 and projected growth of 11 percent from 2025 to 2035. IMA’s certified nurse-midwife salary guide covers pay in more detail.
Follow One Person’s Care Across the Day
You will learn more if you follow the sequence of care rather than waiting for the most dramatic moment. The table below is an original observation template. Use it within your host’s rules and keep names, ages, room numbers and other identifiers out of your notes.
| Stage of care | What to observe | Question for your supervisor |
|---|---|---|
| Prenatal visit | How the midwife checks mother and baby and talks through plans | What tells you a pregnancy needs closer follow-up? |
| Early labor | How progress is tracked and explained | How do you decide when to reassess? |
| Comfort and support | How pain and fear are discussed | Which comfort measures are available here? |
| Complications | How the team escalates a concern | Who is called first, and what information do you pass on? |
| After birth | How the baby’s health and the mother’s recovery are watched | What do you check before discharge? |
| Feeding and follow-up | How early breastfeeding and next steps are taught | What happens if a family cannot return for follow-up? |
You will not see every stage in one shift. Choose two rows, ask your questions when the midwife has a quiet moment and write the answers in your own words afterward.
How Do Midwives Work With Doctors and Nurses?
Maternity care depends on handoffs. Midwives, nurses and obstetric doctors share information at shift changes, during referrals and when a labor becomes complicated. Watch how a concern is raised, who decides the next step and how the plan is explained to the woman and her family. Those moments show you how teamwork actually functions under pressure.
Prepare Before Your First Shift
A maternity service moves quickly, and the time to ask basic questions is before you arrive. A little preparation means you spend the shift learning rather than trying to work out where to stand.
- Review the basic stages of labor and the common terms used in prenatal and postpartum care, so that explanations make sense the first time.
- Ask your supervisor where students should stand during births and examinations, and when you should leave the room.
- Decide how you will take notes. A small notebook kept out of sight of patients works better than writing during care.
- Prepare two or three questions in advance, and write down the answers soon after the shift while details are fresh.
- Plan how you will look after yourself. Births can be long, and complications can be upsetting to watch. Debrief with your supervisor or program staff if something stays with you.
Write a Reflection That Shows Your Learning
Consider a fictional teaching example. A student watches a midwife spend several minutes explaining a monitoring plan to a first-time mother before an exam. A basic note reads, “I observed a labor assessment.” A stronger reflection reads, “I noticed that the midwife explained each step before she began and checked that the mother understood. I had expected the clinical task to be the focus, but the explanation seemed to change how calm the mother was.”
The second note shows what you noticed, what you learned and how your thinking changed. It does not claim that you assessed the patient or that you know the outcome. Use the same structure for your own reflections, and avoid any detail that could identify a woman or her baby.
If staff speak a language you are still learning, confirm what you heard before you interpret it. IMA’s guide to staying engaged during observation across a language barrier has practical suggestions for those days.
Keep Your Role Clear
Birth is personal, and women have the right to decide who is in the room. A patient can always decline to have a student present, and you should step out without discussion if asked. Ask before the shift what students may and may not do, and never assume that watching a skill means you are permitted to try it.
The same honesty applies to your applications. Describe observation as observation, and do not overstate your involvement in births you witnessed. If you hope to count hours toward a nursing or midwifery program, ask that program in writing which settings and supervisors it accepts and how it wants the experience documented.
Choose an Experience That Answers Your Questions
After your first observation days, write down one question you could not answer. Perhaps you understand the labor ward but not prenatal care, or you have seen hospital birth but not community maternal health education. That gap is a good guide for choosing your next experience.
IMA’s midwifery internships abroad place pre-midwifery students, midwifery and nurse-midwifery students and licensed midwives on the maternity service of a public teaching hospital in Mombasa, Kenya or Cusco, Peru. Stays start at two weeks, with six to eight hours a weekday on the maternity service, and licensed clinicians supervise interns. The role is supervised and observational: interns do not deliver babies or perform procedures.
Prenatal care also depends on imaging, so if you want to understand how ultrasound fits into pregnancy monitoring, read our article on Medical Ultrasound Awareness Month and what imaging students learn from the whole team.
A good observation week leaves you with a clearer picture of what midwives do across the whole course of care, and a more specific question to carry into your next step.
Frequently Asked Questions
When Is National Midwifery Week 2026?
National Midwifery Week 2026 runs from October 4 to 10. The American College of Nurse-Midwives holds it Sunday to Saturday during the first full week of October.
Can I Deliver a Baby During a Midwifery Internship?
No. On IMA’s midwifery internships the role is supervised and observational, and interns do not deliver babies or perform procedures. What you may do depends on your training and the host hospital’s rules.
Who Can Apply for a Midwifery Placement With IMA?
Pre-midwifery students, midwifery and nurse-midwifery students and licensed midwives can apply. Placements run in Mombasa, Kenya and Cusco, Peru, for stays from two weeks.
What Should I Focus on During My First Maternity Observation?
Pick one stage of care, such as a prenatal visit or postpartum monitoring, and follow it closely. Ask how the midwife decides on next steps rather than trying to understand every task at once.
Does Observation Abroad Count Toward Nursing or Midwifery Programs?
Each program sets its own rules. Ask the programs you plan to apply to which settings and supervisors they accept and how they want hours documented before you rely on them.
How Do I Write About a Birth I Observed Without Breaking Confidentiality?
Leave out names, ages, dates and any detail that could identify the woman or her baby. Focus on what the professional did, what they explained to you and what you learned.
