What is the difference between a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM) and a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM)? How do I know which to choose?
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Great question, and confusing even among midwives! CNMs are trained first as nurses. Then they attend nurse midwifery school, where they learn to mainly attend to pregnant and laboring women in a hospital setting. As a rule, MOST CNMS are not experienced in and do not attend births at home. Of course, there are exceptions--especially in states where CNMs are the only "legal" midwives. CNMS are given their title by the American College of Nurse Midwives.
A CPM is a midwife trained out of hospital, usually by apprenticeship and didactic study, and sometimes trained at a midwifery school. The North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) is the certifying body for CPMS. To become a CPM, a midwife has to either be licensed in her state as an LM (assuming that is possible) or may apply through a rigorous application procedure, attendance at homebirths and certifying exams. At this time, many states recognize the CPM credential, although many do not.
As far as who and what credential to pick, all that matters is your take on the midwife personally and professionally. Certifications, while reassuring, aren't the be all and end all to choosing a midwife. To make matters more confusing, some of the most experienced and wisest midwives have either purposely decided to avoid becoming licensed and/or live in states where licensure is not possible.
Let the letters behind her name encourage you to ask questions and find out what you need and who suits you best.
