If U would like to add links to this page, please send URL address and Summary information to jlh for consideration! http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/hypertext/faq/usenet/medicine/midwifery/united-states/faq.html Midwifery in the United States http://adenine.frognet.net/~midwife/history.html Historical Transcripts, Essays, and References Historical Bullitens from the International Journal of Domiciliary Midwives. http://www.swmed.edu/home_pages/parkland/midwifery/txt/mdwfhistorytxt.html Parkland School of Nurse Midwifery The History of Midwifery The Birth of Midwifery As women gave birth, they sought and received care from supportive others. At an unknown point in the cultural evolution, some experienced women became designated as the wise women to be in attendance at birth. Thus, the profession of midwifery began. Indeed, as historians have noted, midwifery has been characterized as a social role throughout recorded history, regardless of culture or time. http://www.goodnewsnet.org/weekly/rosenbl1.htm The Official Plan to Eliminate the Midwife: 1900 -- 1930 by faith gibson, C.P.M., community midwife The Story behind the Story This material was originally complied to accompany an article reporting on the a University of Washington study confirming the efficacy of midwifery care. The study's main author is Dr. Roger Rosenblatt, the Vice-Chairman of the Department of Family Practice Medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He was interviewed on April 21st on National Public Radio news program "All Things Considered" by Ray Swaraz. During that interview, Dr. Rosenblatt was very complimentary to the care of midwives, acknowledging that they had much lower rates of Cesareans for low risk mothers (40% less) than care of by physicians. Mr. Swaraz asked Dr. Rosenblatt why the medical profession "frowned on midwives" for all these years. Dr. Rosenblatt's replied: http://www.geocities.com/Wellesley/5510/hist.html Illinois' Shameful History of Midwifery ___________________ http://www.tdh.texas.gov/hcqs/plc/mwhist.htm History of Midwifery in Texas Prior to the modern era of specialization in medicine -- particularly in prenatal care -- there was always a woman in the village, the small town, or somewhere in the family that people went to for sore throats, who knew a lot about herbs and home remedies, and who was willing to assist in the birth of a baby. Parteras serving the Spanish speaking population and "granny ladies" in rural Texas are part of the traditional folklore and cultural legacy of Texas history, from the time of the Texas Republic and before. In 1925, more than 50 percent of the babies born in Texas were delivered by midwives. This reflected the rural and working poor population in Texas, among whom low income was a barrier to institutional medical care. http://www.motherstuff.com/html/2midwifery-history.html What is Midwifery: History This collection of links is meant to provide an eclectic and, hopefully, informative look at the roots of midwifery. The majority of this focus is for the Western world, though if I am able to find links from other parts of the world, I will most certainly list them here. http://www.midwife-ny.com/history.html History of Midwifery Services, Inc I n 1964 Roosevelt Hospital became the first voluntary hospital in the United States to employ nurse midwives. At the time, there were less than 500 nurse midwives in the country. The midwives worked along with interns and residents to provide care for women in prenatal clinics and at their deliveries. http://frognet.net/~midwife/campain.html A Short History of Midwifery in America A campaign at the early part of this century to eradicate midwifery in order to elevate the status of obstetrics laid the foundation for our cultural perspective regarding childbirth. This campaign was so successful that women today often automatically assume that childbirth is so complicated and risky that the only safe place to give birth is at a hospital under the care of a doctor. Many of us don't even know what a midwife is, or that in all of the countries with better birth outcomes midwives are employed as the primary birth attendants. The World Health Organization states that our failure to fully incorporate midwives into our system of health care is responsible for our poor birth statistics and our high medical costs.(1) In order for us to understand why the United States has taken this route regarding childbirth we need to take a look at the evolution of obstetrics in this country. http://www.swmed.edu/home_pages/parkland/midwifery/txt/mdwfhsustxt.html Midwifery in the United States Native Americans had midwives within their various tribes. Midwifery in Colonial America began as an extension of European practices. It was noted that Brigit Lee Fuller attended three births on the Mayflower. Midwives filled a clear, important role in the colonies, one that Laurel Thatcher Ulrich explored in her Pulitzer Prize winning book: A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard Based on Her Diary 1785-1812. (Published in 1990). Midwifery was seen as a respectable profession, even warranting priority on ferry boats to the Colony of Massachusetts. Well skilled practitioners were actively sought by women. However, the apprentice model of training still predominated. A few private tutoring courses such as those offered by Dr. William Shippman, Jr. of Philadelphia existed, but were rare http://www.geocities.com/Wellesley/Atrium/5148/history.html The following photos come from a much larger slide collection I purchased from Janet Isaacs Ashford called "Mothers & Midwives: A History of Traditional Childbirth." They are presented here purely for educational purposes. Please enjoy. http://www.childbirth.org/kaam/hist.html/ History of Midwifery The Frontier Nursing Service, Wendover, KY http://family.go.com/Features/family_1997_10/minn/minn107midwife/minn107midwife.html THE HISTORY OF MIDWIFERY B Y K A T I E A L L I S O N G R A N J U QUICK: WHAT IS the world's oldest profession? The answer is almost certainly midwifery. By providing comfort, care and safety for other women during the natural processes of pregnancy and childbirth, wise women known as midwives have been an integral part of women's health services from the beginning of recorded history. Today, midwifery still exists as the basis for maternity services in almost every nation, with seventy-five percent of Western European births attended principally by midwives. Most nations' health-care policies are in agreement with the World Health Organization's statement that "the curricula for the education of all health professionals should reflect the role of the midwife as the primary caregiver in maternity care." http://acnm.org/educ/fenmhist.htm History of Nurse-Midwifery in the U.S. The first nurse-midwifery practice in the United States was the Frontier Nursing Service (FNS), founded in 1925 in a remote and rural area of eastern Kentucky. Mary Breckinridge, the founder of the FNS, was the first United States nurse to become a nurse-midwife. After graduation from an educational program in England, and district experience in Scotland, she developed a system of district clinics based on what she had seen in the Scottish Outer Hebrides. The practice, which provided maternal and infant health care, demonstrated the effectiveness of the nurse in an expanded role forty years before the concept was widely recognized in this country. http://www.goodnewsnet.org/practice/antiqmdw.htm Contributions by the Midwives of Antiquity to the Art and Science of Modern Medicine Historical Background of Midwifery http://www.midwife.org/prod/rc_class.htm Resource Catalog - Classics "Midwife Means With Woman" Historical Booklet (1991) A 16-page booklet that accompanied the exhibition on the history of midwifery at the National Library of Medicine. http://freenet.uchsc.edu/2000/promote/family/midwife/history.html The History of Midwifery The following was provided by the Colorado Chapter of the American College of Nurse Midwives. For more information, call the Nurse-Midwifery Educational Program at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center at 270-8654. For centuries, midwives have been delivering babies. Midwives were written about in the bible (Genesis 35:17, 38:28; Exodus 1:15-22) and in the writings of the classical Greek and Roman physicians, such as Hypocrates, Galen and Celsius. Midwives played an important part of the birthing process throughout the Middle Ages and attended births of the rich and the poor. At that time, most midwives learned their skills through personal experience and training with older more experienced midwives. In the beginning, midwives were only women; men were not allowed to participate in the birthing process. http://www.geocities.com/HotSprings/4993/history.htm A Recent History of Midwifery in New Zealand 1. New Zealand In August 1990 the passing of the Nurses Amendment Act restored the right of midwives in New Zealand to practise independently of medical supervision.