Labor Induction Outcomes in Hospital-Based Midwife-Led Care

Since the landmark ARRIVE trial reshaped labor induction practices across the country, midwives have been asking, what do these findings actually mean in the hands of midwifery-led care? In this episode of Speaking of Midwives, host Melissa Avery sits down with Dr. Denise Smith, midwife, researcher, and assistant professor at the University of Colorado, to discuss her recently published study in the Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health examining outcomes for labor induction compared with expectant management across four diverse midwifery practice groups serving more than 7,000 births.Dr. Smith and her team at the Midwifery Reach research lab set out to answer what clinicians were already asking in practice, does induction of labor increase cesarean birth rates in midwifery-managed settings? The findings are both reassuring and revealing, with important implications for how midwives counsel patients, manage labor, and advocate for resource equity.This is midwife-led research, answering questions that matter most to midwifery practice. These conversations are exactly what Speaking of Midwives is here for.Smith DC, Gemkow JW, Shiferaw BA, Anderson J, Bulinski D, Brody MG, Carrington S, Cherry C, Pirrie SM, Williams A, Smyth HL, Kissler KJ. (2026), Outcomes for labor induction compared with expectant management among women receiving hospital-based, midwifery-led care. J Midwifery Womens Health. Published in EarlyView April 2026.