The term “midwifery” may seem antiquated in today’s high-tech world, but, in fact, it’s a newly burgeoning trend worth considering. Midwife deliveries have seen a recent rise in this country to about 7 percent of all hospital and home births, about a 33 percent increase since 1996, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. As health practitioners who give care during pregnancy, at the birth and postpartum, midwives offer the same medical treatment and obstetrical care as traditional doctors, says Elizabeth Stein, a certified nurse midwife (RN/CNM) in New York City. “But we do it with a lot more involvement of the woman and her family, with more teaching, counseling and in-depth explanations.” Still, collaboration is needed between midwives and doctors for patients that have high-risk problems like preeclampsia and high blood pressure, she emphasizes. Many health insurance companies cover the fees of midwives who work in obstetric groups with physicians or are independent and certified. For more information and to find midwives in your area, visit the American College of Nurse Midwives website, acnm.org.