12/16/2025
Press Release: Florida Licensed Midwives Achieve Exceptional Maternal and Newborn Outcomes, 2024 Annual Report Shows
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 2025
Florida Licensed Midwives Achieve Exceptional Maternal and Newborn Outcomes, Annual Report Shows
TALLAHASSEE, FL — The Florida Department of Health has released the 2024 Florida Licensed Midwives Annual Report, highlighting the outstanding safety and quality of care provided by licensed midwives (LMs) across the state. The report shows that licensed midwives achieve fetal mortality rates nearly nine times lower than the Florida state average, along with excellent maternal and newborn outcomes.
In 2024, licensed midwives cared for 6,172 people in Florida. Planned licensed midwife attended births totaled 3,332, with intrapartum transfers to hospitals occurring in 12.8 percent of cases, reflecting the national average for low-risk births in birth center settings. Postpartum maternal transfers were rare at 2.2 percent, newborn transfers occurred in only 1.5 percent of cases. Vaginal births after cesarean (VBAC) accounted for 6.1 percent of the births. Among planned licensed midwife births, 43.4 percent were waterbirths, reflecting the strong preference for this evidence-based, highly effective form of non-pharmacologic pain management that is not an option in most Florida hospitals.
Florida Licensed Midwives are highly educated, trained, certified, and regulated professionals. They provide comprehensive maternity care throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, including monitoring maternal and fetal health, performing routine labs and ultrasounds, administering medications when needed, conducting newborn exams, and collaborating with physicians in higher-risk cases. The Midwives Model of Care emphasizes continuous, individualized support, minimizes unnecessary interventions, and recognizes pregnancy and birth as normal life events.
The number of midwife-attended births in Florida has been steadily increasing over the past decade, rising from 11.9% of all births in 2014 to 17.3% in 2025. Certified Nurse-Midwives account for most of this growth, increasing from 10.5% to 15.8% of births. Licensed Midwives have maintained a consistent but small share, attending 1.4% to 1.5% of births throughout the period.
Despite this progress, Florida significantly underutilizes midwives compared to international standards. In countries with optimal maternal outcomes, midwives provide 70-80% of care during pregnancy and for low-risk births. The United States has only 4 midwives per 1,000 births, whereas most other high-income countries have between 30 and 70 midwives per 1,000 births, with lower maternal and neonatal mortality rates.
Globally, midwives are recognized by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) as a cost-effective solution to improve maternal and newborn health, prevent complications, and save lives. Modeling studies demonstrate that universal coverage of midwife-delivered interventions could avert 67% of maternal deaths, 64% of neonatal deaths, and 65% of stillbirths.
Despite this evidence, midwives continue to face systemic barriers that limit their ability to serve more families. The WHO and UNFPA identify key challenges including the low status of midwives, interprofessional rivalries, poor understanding of midwifery care, and inadequate recognition of the profession.
In the United States, additional barriers include limited workforce development, inequitable reimbursement, regulatory and legislative restrictions, discriminatory hospital policies, and the historical dismantling of the midwifery workforce. Enabling strategies include equitable Medicaid reimbursement, independent licensure, access to hospital privileges, full practice authority, and policies that improve the status and recognition of midwives.
Research demonstrates that midwife-led care increases spontaneous vaginal birth rates and reduces cesarean sections, instrumental deliveries, and labor interventions. Florida has a cesarean section rate of 35.9%, the third highest in the nation. With approximately 208,000 annual births, if expanded midwifery access reduced cesarean deliveries by even 1 percentage point among eligible low-risk births, this could prevent over 2,000 cesareans annually, saving approximately $12 million in direct costs per year while improving maternal outcomes.
Florida is facing a maternal health crisis and a shortage of maternal health care providers. Licensed midwives are providing safe, supportive, and high-quality care while improving access for families. Integrating and supporting midwives is an underutilized and proven way to ensure healthy pregnancies and positive birth experiences. Expanding access to and support for licensed midwives, who currently attend only 1.5% of births, represents a significant opportunity to improve maternal and newborn health outcomes in Florida.
Sources: Florida Department of Health, 2025; FloridaHealthCharts.gov; American Association of Birth Centers / National Birth Center Study II, 2013; United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA); World Health Organization (WHO).
