A midwife is a trained women’s health professional who sees and manages patients during pregnancy and delivery. They are also trained to manage gynecological complaints as well. Midwifes can deliver in birthing centers, hospitals or even at home. They are different than a doctor in that they typically do not do operative deliveries such as vacuum deliveries and forcep deliveries (however, some are trained to do this as well), and they do not perform surgery. For certain high risk conditions, they may also need the assistance of their covering doctor.