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Period: Jan 1, 1000 to Jan 1, 1550
History of Midwifery
Midwifery can be traced back to Ancient Greece and Rome where women in labor would be surrounded by other women, who supported the mother and helped deliver her child. Throughout the thirteenth and eighteenth centuries, midwives were given a high status and their counsil was often sought out for matters other than birth. However, in the 1500's, rising knowledge about human anatomy led to the rise of Obstetrics. -
Jul 22, 1550
The Reimagination of Podalic Version
In the ancient Rome, the Greek physician Soranus coined the name Podalic Version, which is a prodecure to assist in births in which the child presents in the breech position, but in 1550 Ambroise Pare, a French Surgeon, reimagined the technique, which showed the rise in Obsetrics vs. Traditional Midwifery. -
Period: Jul 26, 1550 to
The rise of obstetrics
Obstetrics began to take hold in the 1550's and has slowly taken over midwifery -
The Use of Forceps in assisting birth
In 1752, Scottish surgeon William Smellie modified traditonal forceps used in childbirth, and made them so that the design minimized the uteral and vaginal manipulation that was so commonly seen with traditional forceps. -
Male presence in the delivery room
By the end of the 1700's about 50% of births were attended by men, something traditionally unseen -
Period: to
Drug Discoveries
Morphine, ether, and cloroform are discovered. Women begin to want "pain free" childbirth -
Midwifery Courses
Dr. Valentine Seaman and Dr. William Shippen begin to teach courses in New York and Philidelphia on midwifery -
Introduction of the incubator
It helped with the infant mortality rate of prematurley born infants, and led to a significant increase in hospital childbirths -
Shift to Obstetrics
After the War of 1812, the real shift to obstetrics was seen. Middle class women were now preferring to have a doctors attention and midwives began to become less called upon. -
Qualifications For 1920's Midwives
Not much training was needed, nor was there a significant salary, seeing as midwives were being written of as incompetent and more and more births were taking place in hospitals. They were generally excluded from births, but those who attended were responsible for the entire well being of the mother and child. -
The Frontier Nursing Service
Mary Breckenridge founded the Frontier Nursing Service in Hyden, Kentucky to assist women on the lower socioeconomic scale, with prenatal care, birthing, and postnatal care. -
Midwiffery education
Throughout the 1970's, midwiffery education became very important. In 1970, programs to nationally certify nurse-midwives became a law.In 1976, midwiffery education became a priority and was funded by The Children's Bureau -
Midwiffery today
Nowadays, midwives need to be nurses with at least a bachelors in midwiffery. They can make from $90,000-$100,000 a year, and are regarded by the medical community with respect for the ideals they embody. Midwives specialize in pre and post natal care and aide in primary care to the reproductive system.
