int to the fact that midwifery is needed, not only for those pregnant women who can afford alternatives, but also for those who cannot afford them (Paine, Lang, Strobino, & Johnson, 1999, pp. 906-908).
Development of the Midwifery Profession
U.S. Historical Roots & European Antecedents
Women have always helped one another give birth. Midwifery was mentioned in the Old Testament books of Genesis and Exodus as well as in the writings of Greek and Roman physicians. Traditionally, the birth attendant has been an older women who has given birth herself and learned about the process from other women. The advent of the complex society brought with it the growth of the traditional birth attendant (TBA) into a professional midwife who earned her living by attending to births. Prior to the 1500s, midwives always participated in births, and their skills were handed down from generation to generation (Ashford, 1990, p. 64; McCool & McCool, 1989, p. 326). Stock-Morton (1996) a
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