There was a midwife on the Mayflower. History has it that Bridget Lee Fuller attended two births while the ship traveled across the Atlantic Ocean on its quest to bring the pilgrims to the new world. Midwives are mentioned in the Bible. Rumor has it the mother of Frank Sinatra was a midwife.
Hospitals reduce their institutional rates by simply having CNMs on staff.
Back in the 1960's a small study was done in California about CNMs. Nurse-Midwives began to work in an area of high perinatal morbidity and mortality. After a few years, the rates had dramatically dropped. And the perinatal rates went back up to previous levels within two years.