Why Midwives Matter—And What Most People Get Wrong About Them

It’s Black Maternal Health Week. Here’s everything you should know to protect yourself and those you love.

MyQueen “Nurse Queen” Dickens, MSN, CNM, is on a mission to set the record straight about midwives—and to uplift Black birthing people in the process.

As a DMV-based nurse midwife, she recently visited Black Girl Magic headquarters to talk all things midwifery: what midwives do, how they’re different from doulas, and why their care model is especially important for Black mothers and parents-to-be.

While some still confuse midwives with doulas, the role of a midwife is distinct—and far from new. The practice of midwifery, which centers holistic, patient-led care, dates back to ancient times. But as medicine became more institutionalized, birth shifted from the home to the hospital, and the face of maternity care became increasingly male and clinical. Not to mention, deliveries became more surgical than natural with growing Cesarean births.

Still, midwives never left. Known for contributing to better outcomes, like lower C-section rates, more infrequent complications, and a more satisfied mother, midwives are experiencing a powerful resurgence.

In honor of Black Maternal Health Week, Dickens shares what every current or future parent should know about this essential form of care and reminds Black birthing folks of their power, their choices, and the support they deserve every day of the year.

ESSENCE: Can you tell us why Black Maternal Health Week, first and foremost is so important? Knowing everything that’s going on and everything that Black women are dealing with when they try to give birth?

Nurse Queen: I think that Black maternal health in general is very important because Black women deserve beautiful birth stories. Oftentimes, women are dying, and they’re dying because they’re not being heard. Because they’re not being advocated for. So I know that Black maternal health, it takes birth workers to really come into the picture and change that narrative of what the birth stories look like. So Black women and black families can live on.

How did you come to realize that being a midwife was your calling?

When I was younger, I wanted to be an OB-GYN. I wanted to be a doctor, so I went the route. My mom is Jamaican, so I had a couple of choices: nurse, doctor, or lawyer. So I went into nursing and then I got into labor and delivery. I loved it. And I transitioned to get my master’s in nursing, which then led me to become a certified nurse midwife. So I have my master’s in nursing as a certified nurse midwife. But I love all things birth, I love all things, women’s health, infant health, and also I love Black women, so being a part of their birthing experience and pregnancy is very important to me.

I love that. And can you kind of speak to what you do in the day-to-day as a midwife, what you do for your patients and what people can expect when they have a nurse midwife like you?

Yeah. So there are so many misconceptions out there about what a midwife does, but me, I am in a hospital-based midwife. So I work in the hospital and my day-to-day is basically coming in into either inductions, where I’m managing labor, I’m delivering babies, I’m repairing vaginas after the delivery, and I’m doing postpartum rounds. But my provider aspect is coming into the hospital and making sure that the pregnancy goes exactly how the patient wants it, to letting the patient know that they are the author of their story and that they can advocate for themselves, and I’m with them along the way.

And what’s one of the biggest misconceptions or confusions when it comes to midwifery?

There are so many misconceptions, honestly, but the biggest misconception is that a midwife and a doula is the same thing. So let me clear that up right now. Midwives and doulas, they are both needed providers for births, but midwives are medical providers. So we are the providers that deliver the baby. So when the baby comes out, we are delivering. When the vagina needs to be repaired, we’re the one repairing. And doulas, they’re needed as well, but they’re not providers in the aspect of physical, but more so emotional and advocacy. So I like to frame them as the other baby daddy, basically. And they advocate for the patient. They’re educated to help the mom during their labor, their pregnancy, prenatal, postpartum. So both are needed, but midwives deliver babies just like an OB-GYN does. And doulas help from an emotional standpoint.

What do you love most about the work that you do?

I love being able to be a part of the most vulnerable, exciting part of a woman’s life. You don’t get many moments like that as a woman. So being a part of that with women, especially Black women, when oftentimes it’s scary, it means a lot to me because I’m able to advocate for them when they’re unable to advocate for themselves.

Nice. I love that. I love that. So Nurse Queen, she’s here to give us not just this information, but she’s also going to break down some of the myths and things that you need to know and consider if you’re getting ready to have a child and you’d like to have a certain birth team that is more supportive and understanding and helpful, and make sure that you’re safe and have the best delivery possible. So we’re going to give her the floor and allow her to share five things that you should know if you’re considering a midwife.

Hi, everyone. My name is MyQueen Dickens. I am a certified nurse midwife, and today I’m going to give you five things that you should know about midwifery care.

Number one: The biggest misconception about midwifery care is that a midwife and a doula is the same thing. Midwives, they are providers that deliver babies and doulas are there from an emotional standpoint. Both are needed throughout your birthing experience.

Number two: The second misconception is that midwives are only able to deliver at home. We actually can deliver in a variety of settings. So we’re talking home birth, birthing center, and hospital. So knowing that you can be safe in any setting that you choose for your birth. You do not have to be scared of the hospital ladies, advocacy is there for you. You can have a doula in the hospital. You can have a midwife. You can have your desired birthing team.

Number three: Most people think that midwifes only are there during pregnancy and postpartum, but midwives can actually take care of you your entire lifespan. As a woman, a midwife can take care of a newborn to 28 days, and also your GYN and women’s health. So we’re talking prenatal, postpartum, birth, and also perimenopausal and menopausal.

Number four: When we’re talking about a birth, you should definitely have a plan. Now, I don’t really like to resonate with birth plans, but I do think you need to have some type of birth guide. Your birth, your labor, it may not go as planned, but I want you to be able to advocate for yourself. I want you to have some things in place. So, having a birth guide that’s going to guide you through this experience is going to be very important so you know exactly how you’re going to navigate your birth, your labor, your postpartum, and there are many different resources out there for you to use. There’s an amazing company called Motherly Touch that actually has postpartum bags and also birth guides for women to help them plan their birthing experience.

Number five: You are the author of your birthing story. You are in control. You are able to advocate for yourself. You are capable of creating your dream birth team, whether that’s a midwife, doula, lactation consultant. You are capable of doing that in any setting.