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Midwifery history

Childbirth and midwifery are endlessly fascinating, at least for me. The same biological process, but handled in some many different ways by women and their caregivers that no two births ever end up the same.

I love reading about birth and its management in different cultures and different eras. Three books have come my way recently that I have really enjoyed reading, all offering different perspectives on birth in very different cultures.

“Call the Midwife” is an account of training to be a midwife in the immediate post-war period on the 1950s in the Docklands area of East London. These days, this area is all glass, chrome and high rise office/appartment towers. Back then is was a bombed out area of rubble interspersed with rows of run down, squalid tenements housing thousands of residents and displaced people, all crammed together in appalling conditions. Into this scene pedalled the midwives on their bicycles, tending to the many women who struggled to give birth in less than optimal conditions. Reading this account brought to life the many personalities, the simple dignity of women and the normalcy of birth, which was handled without fuss, in stoical, cheerful fashion. Such a contrast to today! I really enjoyed the many birth stories and the humorous descriptions of the area and its population.

“A Pleasing Birth” takes a good look at how the Dutch have achieved their outstanding results in maternity care. Although more academic in its approach, it is written in a narrative style, engaging the reader in its absorbing message. The political climate in which the Dutch health care system resides is unpacked, and the approach to providing birth services is carefully examined, along with attitudes, training and the practical measures that underpin the provision of midwifery care. Everyone admires the way the Dutch have kept the home birth option alive and strong, and this book explains how this is has been achieved and maintained.

“Midwives’ Tales” is about giving birth in Samoa and is a collection of stories about the changing face of midwifery in this island nation. Many of the traditional ways have been retained but overlaid with modern development in maternity care. The education and training of midwives has changed over the years too, resulting in an interesting mix of new and old. The voices of the Samoan midwives are strong and exciting and it is fascinating to hear how birth unfolds in this corner of the South Pacific.

These three books offer enormous contrast, yet are all about midwifery and childbirth. That such a universal process can have so many variations and be handled in so many diverse ways is what keeps me interested. You would enjoy these insights too!

Posted by andrea at November 11, 2005 10:10 AM