What does midwifery mean

What Is a Midwife?

Written by Judith Hurley, RD, MS

Women who choose midwives usually want very little medical intervention and have had no complications during their pregnancy. Because giving birth to twins is more complicated than giving birth to a single baby, many doctors don't recommend using a midwife unless under the direct supervision of a doctor.

Midwives can have different levels of training:

Certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) are registered nurses who have graduated from an accredited nurse-midwifery education program and have passed a national exam. They can practice in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Certified midwives (CMs) are non-nurse midwives who have a bachelor's degree or higher in a health field, have completed an accredited midwifery education program, and have passed a national exam. Only a few states permit CMs to practice.
Certified professional midwives (CPMs) are non-nurse midwives who have training and clinical experience in childbirth, including childbirth outside of the hospital, and have passed a national exam. Not all states permit CPMs to practice.
Lay midwives are not certified or licensed but have apprenticed or received informal training.

What Does Your Midwife Do?

Your midwife can provide care before, during, or after your pregnancy. Your midwife will:

Provide family planning and preconception care
Do prenatal exams and order tests
Watch your physical and psychological health
Help you make your birth plans
Advise you about diet, exercise, meds, and staying healthy
Educate and counsel you about pregnancy, childbirth, and newborn care
Give you emotional and practical support during labor
Admit and discharge you from the hospital
Deliver your babies
Make referrals to doctors when needed

How Your Midwife Works With Your Pregnancy Team

Midwives have a relationship with an OB-GYN who provides consultation as needed. Your midwife may refer you to an obstetrician for care if a problem develops during your pregnancy. Your midwife also may team up with another midwife or doula to help with your labor and delivery. Make sure your midwife is in practice with a doctor.

Why You Might Want to Choose a Midwife

You may want to consider working with a midwife if:

You want your childbirth to be as natural as possible with little medical intervention, such as an episiotomy, fetal monitoring, labor induction, etc.
You want the emotional, practical, and social support that midwives provide.

How to Choose a Midwife

When deciding who to choose, start by asking your doctor or OB if they can make a recommendation. You also may want to talk with any friends who have worked with a midwife to see what their experience was like and who they might recommend.

No matter who oversees your care, it's important to choose a provider you feel confident in and comfortable with. The questions below can help you choose the right midwife for you.

What type of certification does the midwife have?
Is the midwife licensed by the state?
Is the midwife affiliated with a medical practice, hospital, or birthing center?
Does this midwife have a good reputation?
What type of experience does the midwife have and in what settings (hospitals, birthing centers, home births)?
What is the midwife's general approach to pregnancy care and delivery?
How does the midwife manage pain during delivery?
What percentage of the midwife's patients have episiotomies and under what circumstances are they performed?
Under what circumstances would the midwife recommend certain medical interventions, such as inducing labor or ordering an epidural or C-section?
What is the midwife's emergency back-up plan for an out-of-hospital birth?
Does the midwife listen to me and explain things clearly?
Is my spouse or partner comfortable with the midwife?
Who covers for the midwife when they are not available?
If another midwife or doula will also attend my delivery, can I meet them beforehand?
Does the midwife consult with an OB and can I meet them?
Does the doctor provide backup in case of complications or emergency?
Is the office location convenient?
How are emergencies and after-hour calls handled?
Does my insurance cover the midwife's services?

Midwifery Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

mid·wife·ry ˌmid-ˈwi-f(ə-)rē -ˈwī-

ˈmid-ˌwī-

: the art or act of assisting at childbirth

also : obstetrics

: the art, act, or process of producing, bringing forth, or bringing about

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web This history underlies why many Americans at worst, think of midwifery as unsafe or don’t think about it at all. Sarah Sloat, WIRED, 20 Nov. 2022 Those factors include unequal access to affordable housing, employment and access to doula and midwifery services. Devi Shastri, Journal Sentinel, 12 Oct. 2022 The Ridge Road location, which offers such as midwifery and lactation consulting, is the only Family Practice location accepting pre-screened breast milk donations. Julie Washington, cleveland, 11 Oct. 2022 In the second wave of feminism in the 1960s and ’70s, witchcraft was seen as a code for the skills, knowledge or independence obtained by women who men viewed as a threat, such as healing, midwifery or financial independence. Kate Wheeling, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Oct. 2022 She was additionally introduced to Vicki Cochrane, the divisional director of nursing and midwifery, and Dr. Charlotte Cohen, the Trust Domestic Abuse lead. Rosa Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 13 Oct. 2022 The deputy director of midwifery, Amy Stubbs, showed the Princess around the ward. Town & Country, 8 Oct. 2022 Kate was shown around by Amy Stubbs, deputy director of midwifery, who tells PEOPLE that the royal was easy for new parents to connect with. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 5 Oct. 2022 In Drogheda, the hospital had expected 1,700 vaccines to arrive this week, which would have cleared the staff backlog, Grainne Milne, director of midwifery for the area told local radio. Dara Doyle, Bloomberg.com, 22 Jan. 2021 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'midwifery.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of midwifery was in the 15th century

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Kids Definition

midwifery

mid·wife·ry ˌmid-ˈwif-(ə-)rē -ˈwīf-

ˈmid-ˌwīf-

: the art or act of assisting at childbirth

also : obstetrics

Medical Definition

midwifery

mid·wife·ry ˌmid-ˈwif-(ə-)rē -ˈwīf-; ˈmid-ˌwīf-

: the art or act of assisting at childbirth

also : obstetrics

see nurse-midwifery

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Britannica. com: Encyclopedia article about midwifery

Last Updated: 29 Nov 2022 - Updated example sentences

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Merriam-Webster unabridged

Obstetrics | it's... What is Midwifery?

Obstetrics is a clinical discipline that studies the physiological and pathological processes that occur in a woman’s body in connection with conception and pregnancy, during childbirth and the postpartum period, and also develops methods of obstetric care, prevention and treatment of complications of pregnancy and childbirth, diseases of the fetus and newborn. Previously, obstetrics included newborn care, which is now separated into neonatology.

Delivery equipment in Senegal, 2006

1 What is midwifery?
2 History of midwifery
- 2.1 Ancient world
- 2.2 Middle Ages
- 2.3 New time. Revival of Science
- 2.4 Recent
- 2.5 Meaning of the word
3 Obstetrics in Russia
4 See also
5 Literature
6 Links

What is midwifery?

The science of obstetrics should not be considered part of therapy or surgery. For a special study of it, not only the knowledge drawn from the two sciences mentioned is required, but acquaintance with a whole range of special information that has nothing to do with other branches of medicine. That is why the study of obstetrics necessitates the existence of a special clinic in which, after preliminary training in medical and surgical clinics, pathology and the therapy of the puerperium are taught.

In addition, much attention is paid to caesarean section when studying at universities, the indication for which is the impossibility of normal delivery, when the latter cause fear for the life of the mother and child - for example, with a narrow pelvis of the woman giving birth, any pathologies in the development of the fetus, multiple pregnancy .

History of obstetrics

The history of obstetrics is closely connected with the history of medicine in general, although until the 18th century it stood at a lower stage of development than the rest of the departments of medical science, since it had an even greater struggle with prejudice and ignorance.

The ancient world

Already in the most ancient written monuments of human history, in the sacred books of the Hindus, Egyptians and Jews, midwives are mentioned as a special class of specialists, and among the ancient Greeks and Romans, many goddesses were revered as patrons of women in childbirth. Only around the middle of the 4th century BC. e. Greek women in labor for the first time begin to resort to the help of men. Hippocrates wrote a lot of writings on childbirth and obstetrics in general, these works laid the foundation for modern obstetric science, although in practical obstetrics he established few rules that would not need to be corrected.

Of the later doctors who left writings on obstetrics, one should name Celsius, Galen, Moshion, the author of the III century, who was guided in his writings by the works of Soranus of Ephesus (whose writings, unfortunately, are lost), Aetius of Amedia (VI century) and Paul of Aegina ( 7th century).

Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages, midwifery, like all sciences, was completely neglected.

Arab doctors developed only the false views of the Greek authors, leaving without any attention what was sound in the writings of their predecessors.

In Western Europe this science was given to monks and midwives.

This period is characterized by high mortality of women in labor and newborns. This phenomenon is reflected in folk tales, where such a character as a stepmother is often found.

New time. The revival of science

Only in the 16th century did it again attract the attention of learned doctors: in 1513, the first, illustrated, guide to obstetrics by Eucharius Resslin "The Flower Garden of Pregnant Women and Midwives" appeared; it was followed by the works of Jacob Rufus in Zurich (1553), Walter Reif in Strasbourg (1561).

How practical art moved forward obstetrics Vesalius, Farlopius; for all that, due to the incompleteness of the scientific observations of doctors, the successes of science were limited only to the operational part, since male doctors were invited to childbirth only in very difficult cases.

In addition, obstetrics was considered only as a department of surgery, and therefore it shared the fate of the latter. With the development of surgery, obstetrics also advanced, especially in France, where the obstetricians Franco, Pare and Guillemot were famous, and where doctors more and more conquered obstetric practice. Prejudice against midwifery, at least in the upper strata, dissipated under the influence of Louis XIV's invitation to the famous surgeon Clement of Arey to provide obstetric care to Madame Lavalier and soon appointed the first obstetrician of the royal court. This difference encouraged French doctors to further develop obstetrics, and then Morisseau, Portal, Pei, Diovis and Lamotte became famous.

At a much lower stage of development, midwifery was in Germany, where it was predominantly practiced by midwives, with very little care for their special education. Of the German midwives, she became famous for her operations and a very satisfactory textbook for her time, Justina Sigmund, the Kurbrandenburg court midwife. At the same time, the Dutchman Heinrich von Deventer laid the first foundation for the scientific development of obstetrics with his two works: Dawn for Midwives and A New Guiding Star for Midwives.

The invention of obstetric forceps, which was progressive for that time, also dates back to the same time, rich in consequences. The latter were probably invented earlier by the English surgeon Chamberlain and by some Dutch midwives, who kept them secret from a mercenary species; only in 1723 Palfin, a surgeon and professor of anatomy in Ghent, reproduced them again and became common property.

From that moment on, obstetrics began to develop rapidly: Levre, Puzot, Astruc, Solaret de Regnac and Bodelok in France, Smellie in England, a significant contribution to its development.

Modern times

In Germany, Roederer, followed by Stein, also greatly contributed to the scientific development of obstetrics. But the main role in the development of science and the dissemination of obstetric knowledge among doctors must be attributed to the establishment of obstetric institutions with schools for students and midwives. There was only one school for midwives in Paris. In 1728, an obstetric institution was opened in Strasbourg, which was under the direction of Friede, and for a long time served as a model for other similar institutions.

In England, the first maternity clinic was opened in 1765.

In Germany, the first school for midwives was founded in Berlin in 1751 by Frederick the Great; in the same year a second one was opened, in Göttingen (under the direction of Roederer). These schools created a solid foundation on which further scientific work could rest firmly. With the success of science in Germany, two schools arose: one - Osiander, which brought operational obstetrics to a high degree of development, the other - the beginning of which was laid by Boer - drawing the attention of its followers to the natural help of nature itself. Although these two schools were in sharp opposition to each other, they nevertheless raised science to extraordinary heights. Along with Osiander and Boer, mention must be made of Smitt, A. K. Siebold, Weidmann, Wenzel, and Wiegand; in France, about Madame LaChapelle; and in England, about Denman. Of the obstetricians, it is necessary to mention Negel, Iörge, d'Utrepont, Ritgen, Kilian, E. K. I. von Siebold, Kivshin, Skonconi, Crede, Shpet, Martin, Brown, Schroeder, Winckel, Alfeld, Leopold, Schulz, Spiegelberg and others.

The close relationship between obstetrics and gynecology has had a particularly beneficial effect, since both sciences, having common physiological and anatomical foundations, are in close contact with each other.

Thanks to the scientific approach to obstetrics, the death rate of women and children from infections during childbirth and bleeding has significantly decreased.

Meaning of the word

Obstetrics [from fr. accoucher, give birth, take birth]

1) a branch of medicine that studies the issues of pregnancy, childbirth, the postpartum period, their physiology, various disorders, correct honey. assistance to a pregnant woman, a woman in labor and a puerperal;

2) provision of practical medical services. childbirth assistance.

Obstetrics in Russia

Russian historical science in general and historians separately have not conducted research on the development of obstetrics in Rus' and in Russia until the present time, that is, until the beginning of the 20th century. Historical literature, for the most part, contains statements about the backwardness of the Russian people and the backwardness of Russian medical practitioners in the field of obstetrics; these conclusions are stated as "common knowledge" and "introductory" in relation to the rest of the text.

Those interested in this topic should take this into account, as well as the fact that the study of archives on this topic has never been carried out by either historians or doctors. It is indicative that a similar study of a small part of local archives, undertaken at the beginning of the 20th century by Danilevsky V.V., which concerned exclusively technology, gave an amazing amount of information about the quantity and quality of the technical knowledge of the population.

Therefore, the following essay contains deliberately limited information of an "overview" nature.

In Russia, the science of obstetrics began and developed much later than in other European countries. The first obstetrician mentioned in the annals was the Englishman Jacob (under Ivan the Terrible), who was famous as "who knew how to very skillfully treat women's diseases."

Although Peter the Great opened schools “for medical and surgical practice”, but since the needs of the army and navy were meant exclusively, obstetrics was not taught in them. Only in 1754 were obstetric schools established in St. Petersburg and Moscow, where professors and assistants were invited to teach, in St. Petersburg Lindemann, in Moscow Erasmus, who owns the first obstetric essay in Russian - after giving birth, you must support yourself. The aforementioned manual was compiled according to Gorn, the original of which was published in 1697, so that in the middle of the last century, when Smelly, Levre and Rederer had already transformed obstetrics, Russian doctors drew their knowledge from an extremely outdated book of the late 16th century.

Since 1763, students from the medical-surgical school began to be sent to the professor of obstetrics to listen to lectures on obstetrics. Especially much was done for the success of this science in Russia, when Nestor Maksimovich Ambodik-Maximovich, a remarkable obstetrician of his time, became a professor in St. Petersburg in 1781, and the no less gifted Wilhelm Mikhailovich Richter in Moscow (since 1790 years). Both of them left behind excellent guidance in their specialty. Their extensive experience and improvement was facilitated by open maternity wards at educational homes.

At the time of the opening of the Medical-Surgical Academy, it was not supposed to have an obstetrics department, and the teaching of obstetrics was associated with forensic medicine. Only in 1808, with the opening of an obstetric clinic, was a separate professor of obstetrics, Gromov, appointed. In 1858, the obstetric department was occupied by A. Ya. Krassovsky, who can be considered the founder of the entire now vast family of Russian obstetricians, who advanced the teaching of obstetrics to an unprecedented height, created a school and became famous as a wonderful diagnostician and exemplary operator.

The Department of Obstetrics was opened at Moscow University in 1764 and was taken by Professor Erasmus. Obstetrics received a solid foundation only with the appointment in 1790 of Professor Wilhelm Richter.

At Kharkiv University, an obstetric clinic with 4 beds was opened only in 1829, although the teaching of obstetrics began as early as 1815. The clinic gained particular fame under the direction of Professor Lazarevich.

In Kazan obstetric clinic was opened in 1833, for 6 beds.

An obstetrics department with a clinic has existed in Kyiv since 1847.

Currently: Serov Vladimir Nikolaevich, President of the Russian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation. Adamyan Leyla Vladimirovna, Academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation, Chief Freelance Specialist Obstetrician-Gynecologist of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation. Radzinsky Viktor Evseevich, Vice-President of the Russian Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor, Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation, Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, Chief Freelance Specialist-Expert Obstetrician-Gynecologist of Roszdravnadzor.

Literature

G. M. Savelyeva, V. I. Kulakov, A. N. Strizhakov. Obstetrics. — 2000.
Ailamazyan E. K. Obstetrics. — 2007.
Govorun M.I., Gofman V.R., Parfenov V.E. Emergency delivery. — 1997.
Radzinsky V.E., Orazmuradov A.A. Early pregnancy. - Publisher: Media Bureau Status Present, 2009.
chief editor Radzinsky V.E. magazine "Status Praesens. Gynecology, obstetrics, infertile marriage". - Publisher: Status Praesens, 2009, 2010.

Obstetrics | it's... What is Midwifery?

Delivery equipment in Senegal, 2006

1 What is midwifery?
2 History of midwifery
- 2.1 Ancient world
- 2.2 Middle Ages
- 2.3 New time. Revival of Science
- 2.4 Recent
- 2.5 Meaning of the word
3 Obstetrics in Russia
4 See also
5 Literature
6 Links

What is midwifery?

History of obstetrics

The ancient world

Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages, midwifery, like all sciences, was completely neglected.

Arab doctors developed only the false views of the Greek authors, leaving without any attention what was sound in the writings of their predecessors.

In Western Europe this science was given to monks and midwives.

This period is characterized by high mortality of women in labor and newborns. This phenomenon is reflected in folk tales, where such a character as a stepmother is often found.

New time. The revival of science

From that moment on, obstetrics began to develop rapidly: Levre, Puzot, Astruc, Solaret de Regnac and Bodelok in France, Smellie in England, a significant contribution to its development.

Modern times

In England, the first maternity clinic was opened in 1765.

Thanks to the scientific approach to obstetrics, the death rate of women and children from infections during childbirth and bleeding has significantly decreased.