Unfortunately, that poll is not an accurate reflection of the situation 
in Missouri, because we are not trying to legalize LAY midwives.  These 
would be defined as a non-nurse midwife, without any other specific 
credential, generally trained by apprenticeship.  My daughter was 
received by a lay midwife and I was very happy with her.  However, she 
had decades of experience.  I'm not so sure how comfortable I would 
have been with a lay midwife who didn't already have lots of experience 
to make up for the possible lack of book knowledge.

What we're working on in Missouri is the CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL 
MIDWIFE, or CPM, which is a credential requiring about three years of 
school (or equivalent), an 8-hour comprehensive exam, and a skills 
assessment requiring the demonstration of 750 individual skills.

Big difference.  Unfortunately, when the terms are used 
interchangeably, we get lawmakers saying that the proposed legislation 
would "permit a 12 year old to hang out a shingle" and other such 
absurdities, when we're actually talking about an internationally 
recognized professional credential.

I doubt it's appropriate to get into any finer details on list, though 
we know midwives are great for breastfeeding rates!  I'm happy to 
correspond further with anyone interested, off-list.  I'm supposed to 
go meet a senator about this very issue tonight. . .

Lynn in MO

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