Nurse Midwives

Other AI tools give decision support. In general care, AI systems can suggest diagnoses or treatments by analyzing patient data ^[1]. In maternity care, researchers are even exploring AI to help choose safe medications during pregnancy, though this is still early work ^[1].

Today, only qualified nurse-midwives can actually write the prescription, so AI just adds a second opinion.

AI is also being used to educate and reassure new mothers. For example, Penn Medicine created a chatbot that texts postpartum patients. It answers about 70% of routine questions on feeding and recovery, so nurses can deal with the more complex issues ^[2].

This shows AI can share general advice, but it’s always under a clinician’s guidance.

Overall, AI in midwifery is still limited. A recent review found no wide AI use in birth care yet—these ideas are mostly future possibilities ^{[1] [1]}. Midwives see big potential (like personalized learning or monitoring) but also worry about errors and privacy ^{[1] [1]}.

In short, today AI mostly augments midwives’ work (taking over routine charting or answering common questions) while people still handle the care and judgment that really matter.

Second, labor market pressures. There is currently a shortage of obstetric providers in some areas. This could push clinics to try AI so midwives handle the highest-value tasks.

For example, if an AI chatbot reduces the number of simple texts or calls a nurse has to answer ^[2], a clinic might cope with fewer staff.

Third, social and ethical acceptance. Pregnancy and childbirth are very personal. Patients usually trust real caregivers more than machines.

Laws and medical rules also limit what AI can do – only a licensed nurse practitioner or midwife can write prescriptions or make final care decisions. Midwives worry that AI can’t replace their empathy and personalized care ^[1]. Many experts agree AI should support, not replace human providers ^{[3] [1]}.

In summary, AI is not about replacing midwives’ jobs. It’s about taking over some routine parts – like typing notes or answering FAQs – so midwives have more time for people. As one analysis puts it, AI can transform healthcare, but “it can’t replace your doctor” ^[3] (and the same goes for your midwife).

The caring, judgment, and teaching skills that midwives provide are still crucial, and will stay valuable even as smarter tools arrive.