NACPM Philosophy and Principles of Practice

• NACPM members respect the mystery, sanctity, and potential for growth inherent in the experience of pregnancy and birth. 

• NACPM members understand birth to be a pivotal life event for our clients, their infants, and their families. Midwifery care aims to support and empower the midwifery client and protect the natural process of birth. 

• NACPM members respect the biological integrity of the processes of pregnancy and birth as aspects of sexuality.

• NACPM members recognize the inseparable and interdependent nature of the client-infant pair. 

• NACPM members believe that responsible and ethical midwifery care respects the infant's life by nurturing and respecting the midwife's client and, when necessary, counseling and educating the client and the client's family to improve fetal and infant well-being. 

• NACPM members work as autonomous practitioners, recognizing that this autonomy makes a true partnership with the clients they serve possible and enables them to bring a broad range of skills to the partnership. 

• NACPM members recognize that decision-making involves synthesizing knowledge, skills, intuition, and clinical judgment. 

• NACPM members know that the best research demonstrates that community birth is a safe and rational choice for healthy pregnancies and that the out-of-hospital setting provides optimal opportunity for the empowerment of midwifery clients while supporting and protecting the normal process of birth. 

• NACPM members recognize that the client and/or infant may occasionally require medical consultation or collaboration. 

• NACPM members recognize that optimal care of clients and infants during pregnancy and birth occurs within a network of relationships with other care providers who can provide service outside the scope of midwifery practice when needed.