Introduction: Definition of a midwife describes the midwife as a healthcare professional who works in partnership with women. Relationships established in midwife-woman pairs can be very different from one another. Some are more and others less well-established, they vary in the degree of intesivity and personal contribution. When both sides experience approximately the same reciprocity of their relationship, the midwife and the birthing woman can cooperate in a harmonious relationship. Continuous work is a challenge for midwives; imbalance between professionalism and excessive personal emotional engagement can lead to rejection of an equal relationship and an occupational burnout. At that point, they can help themselves with the concept of being a professional friend. Purpose: To make an overview of the literature selected according to the inclusion criteria and to describe the historic events that changed the relationships between birthing women and midwives. To highlight the areas that influence the establishment of a partnership relationship, the pros and cons of such cooperation and possible applicable solutions. Methods: A descriptive research method with a systematic overview of professional and scientific, Slovenian and English literature; an analysis and synthesis of critically selected relevant sources. The literature was searched in the shared database Cobiss.si, Maribor University Clinic, Ljubljana University Clinic and the library of the Faculty of Health Sciences in Ljubljana. Books and online sources, scholarly articles, research papers and collections of lay stories of birthing women, new mothers and mothers were used. Discussion and conclusion: A partnership relationship between a birthing woman and a midwife positively influences all involved; moreover, it can also affect birth outcome. The relationship of the midwife impacts the satisfaction of the woman during and after childbirth. Foreign countries offer a diversity of examples of good practice, whereas due to various factors, Slovenian midwives and birthing women have limited possibilities of establishing a partnership relationship. The mental state of a birthing woman reflects itself in the unwinding of the birthing process, influences the birth outcome as well as the new mother’s mental and psychological state. The current state of affairs in Slovenian maternity hospitals cannot compare to international examples of good practice. Midwives and birthing women are facing lack of autonomy. The field is poorly researched and in need of more attention and further research.
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