midwifery , Care of women during pregnancy and childbirth. It is known to date to ancient biblical, Greek, and Roman times. It declined in the Middle Ages, when the first medical schools in Europe came into existence. However, it advanced considerably from the 17th to the 19th century. Later, with advances in obstetrics and gynecology, most women in developed countries gave birth in hospitals, and the high mortality for mothers and infants in childbirth decreased. In the 1960s the natural childbirth movement, feminism, and other factors renewed interest in the personal care given by midwives. Licensed and certified midwives receive formal training either as a midwife or as a nurse and then a midwife. Licensed midwives often also provide pre- and postnatal care and reproductive health advice. Lay midwives usually have no formal training and are unlicensed.
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