Women prefer dedicated midwife care, Aussie research reveals

Women prefer to have a designated midwife look after them throughout their pregnancy and birth, even if they have risk factors, according to a study in two Australian hospitals.
The trial examined women’s satisfaction with caseload midwifery, where women are assigned a primary midwife who cares for them throughout the antenatal period, with a back-up midwife who steps in when they are unavailable.
The designated midwife in the caseload arm gave patients a mobile phone number and they had 24/7 access either to that midwife or to one of three others who covered leave periods.
The M@NGO study of 1750 pregnant women compared this model with standard antenatal care, where women are seen by various doctors and midwives, as available.