There are only about twenty certified professional midwives in Ohio, but a group that represents them says there are many more people who are working as midwives without any sore of certification or license. The group is pushing for legislation that would give midwives more credibility under the law. Stephanie Beck-Borden is the chair of Ohio Families for Safe Birth, and says right now there's no definition of midwives in the law and noguidelines for what they can and can't do.

    "Right now, they're at risk for being prosecuted for maybe nursing or practicing medicine and what we want is for there to be a lot more clarity around this is what certified professional midwives are trained to do and that they're serving women. They're safe, they're educated, this is evidence-based care," Beck-Borden said.

    She said about 100 births a month in Ohio happen at home and are attended by midwives, and that it's a real issue in rural areas where hospitals can be more than an hour away.