For as long as women have been having babies women have
needed the help of midwives to get them through the process of giving birth. In
the United States, New York City was the first to require midwives to have a
license in 1716. These licenses requirement make midwives a servant of the
state, they were also seen as keepers of the social and civil order.
During this time men did not witness childbirth (insert
scene of passing father here), it was seen as indecent for men to be in the
room. Since few male doctors were available at the time female midwives were
depended upon to deliver babies.
At this time giving birth was extremely dangerous. Without
any chemical treatments that are available today women routinely died giving
birth or shortly after. Without germ theory infections were rampant and there
was no guarantee that mother of child would live through the experience.
In Ohio midwife licenses were mandatory in 1896. In
Montgomery County every practicing midwife had to register and receive a
certificate for the practice of Midwifery. Their name was kept in a ledger so
that the state government could control who was practicing and who was not. Of
course this is not to say that there were not people who were practicing
midwives and did not have a certificate. It is safe to assume that if a baby is
coming and the mother happens to be out in the wilderness any midwife,
certified or not, is welcome to assist.
Today there are several tests which aspiring midwives must
pass in order to be certified. In order to become a Certified Nurse-Midwife or
a Certified Midwife, one must graduate from an accredited program, be verified by
the program director and have an active registered nurse license. With the
increasing number of women having babies in hospitals midwives and home births
are becoming more rare in the current culture.
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