However, the government says the number of midwives is now increasing faster than the birth rate.
Health Minister John Denham said the government recognised the need for more midwives and consultants.
Cathy Warwick, general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, offered support for her colleague.
The expertise and experience of midwives, for instance, can be utilised far more effectively.
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During pregnancy, access to specialist multi-disciplinary teams of doctors, nurses and midwives was essential, it added.
However Ms Ferguson added that midwives were piloting a training scheme aimed at improving communication skills.
The review found local support for the unit and "excellent" practice by some midwives.
The result should be growth in the number of people choosing careers as midwives.
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Kenny McNeil, from the Nurses and Midwives Joint Executive, said industrial action was a possibility.
Louise Silverton, deputy general secretary of the Royal College of Midwives, welcomed the report.
The RCM said the government admitted the NHS needed 44% more midwives by 2010.
Midwives say the shortage means many have to work double shifts to provide cover.
The proposals would also mean maternity services being led by midwives instead of a consultant.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said most nurses and midwives wanted to "spend time caring for patients".
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Midwives said she was aggressive in trying to make sure the baby didn't bond with her daughter.
The sheer number of births has raised concerns from midwives about the health service's ability to cope.
Pregnant and new mothers who never had access to health facilities are seeing doctors, nurses and midwives.
Also, for most things Scandinavians went to paramedicals equivalent to our Physicians Assistants, Nursing Practitioners, or midwives.
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The Royal College of Midwives, which represents the profession, echoed his call for a cut in hours.
By that July the hospital was under emergency measures and the trust employed an additional 60 midwives.
It's right that nurses and midwives this year got their biggest national pay rise for a decade.
We should be trying to solve all these problems, and midwives are uniquely equipped to address them.
Some 137 midwives cover the Poole, Purbeck, East Dorset, Bournemouth and Christchurch areas on behalf of the trust.
She called on the government to introduce more family friendly working conditions to boost the number of midwives.
One of the lesser-discussed benefits about to kick in is the increase in payments to certified nurse midwives.
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Currently, certified nurse midwives are paid 65% of what a physician is paid by Medicare when treating patients.
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In Bristol some 117 women, seen by midwives, had undergone female genital mutilation, according to a NHS study.
Dr Gurewitsch has been using the device clinically, and believes it could help train future doctors and midwives.
The scheme mobilizes newly qualified, unemployed and retired midwives for deployment to primary care facilities in rural communities.
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It went on that the the shortage of midwives that has emerged needs to be "eliminated without delay".
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