Midwifery, A Brief History

Years ago, communities relied upon their midwife to serve their families for all sorts of health care, not just maternity care.  Midwives were seen as the "healers" of their community, and were called upon to serve families whenever they needed help.  Their scope of practice was traditionally from "womb to tomb."

With the advancement of modern medicine as a profession, doctors actively pursued eliminating midwifery.  Male physicians sought out obstetrics for profit, and worked hard to push midwives out of the picture.  Birth with a physician became a measure of financial status.  However, birth with physicians proved to be unsafe, especially in the beginning.

Midwifery in the United States was almost eradicated by the mid-20th century, however, as Elizabeth Davis says, "Midwifery is alive today for one reason only: women's insistence on midwifery care."  As women become informed about the choices available to them and the risks of routine medical interventions, midwifery rises to the top as their care of choice for normal birth.

Today, in countries with the best birth outcomes, midwives are the primary health care providers for normal pregnancy and birth, and homebirths are still common.  In the United States, where we are ranked an abysmal 30th amongst developed countries in maternal mortality and 36th amongst all countries for infant mortality, midwives are the primary care providers for less than 10% of all births, and only about 1% of births take place at home.