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nurse-midwife

nurse-midwife

1 3.8
A trained health worker who cares for women in pregnancy and helps them give birth
  • noun
  • /ˈnɜrs ˈmɪdˌwaɪf/
  • Specialized
translation icon : enfermera partera
  • If her shift is over, the next nurse-midwife comes.
  • nurse-midwife's scope of practice

Examples

  • In hospitals, nurse-midwives help in the care of birthing women, but they are more nurse than midwife.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • The nurse-midwife is taking care of her by checking for dilation and fetal heartbeat every 2 hours.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • If there is some problem, the nurse-midwife's job is only to do everything as the doctor has told her.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • After the birth of the baby's shoulder, the nurse-midwife gives the oxytocin injection.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Nurse-midwives practice obstetrics and gynecological care from a different perspective than physicians.

    Academic text (1997)
  • The nurse-midwife's job is to notify the doctor if there is any problem (e.g., the dilatation is "too slow") or when the woman is in transition—so he can arrive for the second stage.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • Many expectant mothers prefer to have a nurse-midwife assist them during childbirth because they provide personalized care.

  • At the clinic, the nurse-midwife explained the stages of labor to the expectant couple.

  • She decided to consult a nurse-midwife for her prenatal care due to her holistic approach to childbirth.

Synonyms

midwife
vsnurse-midwife
  • Specialized
46 3.5

A person who helps women during childbirth

is a registered healthcare professional who also holds specialized childbirth care training
accoucheuse
vsnurse-midwife
  • Archaic
9.9

A woman who helps others when they give birth

is a registered healthcare professional who also holds specialized childbirth care training

How Qualified

obstetrician
  • Specialized
26 5.7
nurse-midwife
  • Specialized
1 3.8
registered nurse
  • Specialized
19 2.8
licensed practical nurse
  • Specialized
1 3.5

Surface Forms

nurse-midwife singular

Morphology

nurse-midwife = nurse + midwife (transparent) = nurse + midwife

A direct hyphenated compound of 'nurse' + 'midwife'; knowing both components gives the sense of a nurse qualified to act as a midwife.

Etymology

Nurse-midwife combines nurse and midwife: nurse comes from an old word meaning 'to feed' or 'look after', and mid- + -wife literally mean 'with' and 'woman', so a midwife is someone 'with the woman' during birth. So a nurse-midwife is a nurse specially trained to stay with and help women give birth.