In the past midwifery was not as known as much it is now also was not regarded as highly as it is now. Midwifery is an ancient profession, with an agenda of providing care for women and babies during pregnancy and childbirth. Usually back then midwifes were only men. In ancient mythology, goddesses only were present at deliveries, note the Gods were not allowed because of gender . The history of midwifery is linked with the history of obstetrics . Obstetric is the Latin word for midwife, this word is thought to have come from the root obstare which means “to stand before”, because the deliverer stood in front of the woman to receive the baby. Only in the 20th century did the subject taught in medical schools change its name from “midwifery”
