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PHSC Celebrates its 50th Anniversary and Black History Month: Midwives

Midwife wrapping her kit to go on a call in Greene County, Georgia

Midwife wrapping her kit to go on a call in Greene County, Georgia
Photo by Jack Delano, 1941. From Farm Security Administration - Office of War Information Photograph Collection (Library of Congress), https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2017796981/

Midwives

Black women were not permitted to birth their children in hospitals and were dependent on midwives long after other women were.

Midwives are medical specialists, traditionally women, who help mothers through the childbirth process.
Doulas are specialists in mental and emotional support rather than medical care.
As childbirth transitioned to hospitals, midwives continued to serve those who did not have access.
Black midwives faced greater scrutiny from the white-dominated medical community and were often marginalized or pushed out of practice completely.

Reference

“The Historical Significance of Doulas and Midwives,” National Museum of African American History and Culture, https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/historical-significance-doulas-and-midwives. Accessed 21 Nov. 2022.