1. The ‘mid’ at the start of the word ‘midwife’ is an old adverb meaning ‘together with’.
2. There are currently around 25,000 registered midwives in the UK of whom only 104 are male.
3. In Ancient Egypt, women gave birth while squatting on large “birthing bricks” which gave the midwife room to hold the baby as it emerged.
4. These were later replaced by “birthing stools” or “birthing chairs” which also let the mother give birth in a sitting position.
5. In the middle ages, midwives were often accused of witchcraft when miscarriages occurred.
6. Male midwives became very popular among the upper classes in Britain in the early 18th century.
7. According to WHO statistics, 75 per cent of European births are attended by midwives, but the figure is only 4 per cent in the US.
8. “A Midwife must possess the Hand of a Lady, the Eyes of a Hawk, and the Heart of a Lion,” (16th century proverb).
9. The midwife toad is so called because males carry fertilised eggs around on their backs.
10. The TV series Call The Midwife is based on the memoirs of midwife Jennifer Worth (1935-2011).
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