Here's an interesting article that ran in The Washington Post yesterday (May 26, 1998). Midwives Beat Doctors in Government Study Babies delivered by certified nurse midwives were significantly less likely to die than those delivered by physicians, according to a study to appear in this month's Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. This is the first study to compare infant mortality risks for all births attended by a certified nurse midwife against physicians. After accounting for a wide variety of social and medical risk factors, the study of 3.9 million single, vaginal births of 35-43 weeks gestation in 1991 found that those attended by CNM showed a 19% lower infant mortality rate than similar births attended by physicians. Neonatal mortality - the deaths that occur during the first 28 days of life - were 33 percent lower among babies delivered by CNM and the risk of delivering a low birthweight baby was 31% lower among the nurse midwives. The difference may be explained in part by prenatal, labor and delivery care. The study's authors noted that CNM spend more time with their patients during prenatal visits and remain at the side of women in labor, while physician's care is more episodic.