HISTORY

WOMEN HAVE ALWAYS HELPED OTHER WOMEN GIVE BIRTH. THE ORIGIN OF THE WORD “MIDWIFE”COMES FROM THE ANGLO-SAXON AND MEANS “WITH WOMAN.”

The mother of the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates was a midwife. Hebrew midwives were revered in the Bible. A midwife was among the settlers that came to the New World on the Mayflower. Historically, midwives were older women who had already given birth. The Midwives’ skills and knowledge were passed from generation to generation. Midwives were greatly respected because they helped their
communities grow.

During the Renaissance, European midwives were often licensed by the Church. As time passed, scientific knowledge increased and the European health care systems developed. The valuable services that midwives provided were recognized and midwives’ training and education was incorporated into the developing health care systems. Midwifery skills and services have remained an integral part of maternity care in Europe and the rest of the world. In fact, over 80% of the babies born in the world today are delivered with midwives. Most western European countries have lower infant and maternal mortality rates, lower cesarean birth rates, fewer unnecessary interventions and lower health care costs than in the United States. This is accomplished by an extensive health care and social support system, wherein midwives are the primary maternity care providers for women.

Midwifery took a different course in the United States. In the early 20th century, the profession of midwifery was nearly eliminated. As the medical profession developed, many states passed laws outlawing midwifery. However, some southern states maintained laws regulating midwives who provided care to much of the rural and African-American communities.

In 1920, Florida Health Department officials estimated that approximately 4000 midwives were practicing in Florida. Licensing became a requirement in Florida in 1931. Fewer than 1400 midwives were licensed. Their numbers dwindled following desegregation and the majority were retired by the 1960s.

During the 1960s, a renewed interest in natural childbirth began to grow. Many women wanted to be more educated about and more involved in their pregnancies and in the births of their children. The demand for midwives grew across the United States.

In 1982 Florida’s Midwifery Practice Act, F.S. 467 was updated. At that time provisions were added requiring the completion of a three year “direct-entry” educational program and passage of the state licensing examination. “Direct-entry” is a term borrowed from Europe where most midwives enter directly into midwifery education; nursing education is not a prerequisite.

Two midwifery schools opened in Florida in January of 1984, one in Miami and one in Gainesville. At that same time the Florida legislature, during its Sunset Review process, found licensed midwifery to be safe and effective. However, in May 1984, licensing became restricted to only those midwives who were currently licensed, with future licensing limited to those students who were enrolled in school already.

Many people worked to change this restrictive law and our efforts were successful during the 1992 legislative session. Florida’s licensing of direct-entry midwives reopened on October 1, 1992.

An enthusiastic body of women in the U.S. are choosing the support and comfort of midwife assisted birthing. This body is expected to grow steadily as the number of direct-entry midwives and nurse midwives practicing in the U.S. increases. Several states have recently passed favorable midwifery legislation. More and more states are recognizing the valuable services that midwives provide.

Florida’s updated law for direct-entry midwifery is based on the standards set forth by the World Health Organization and the European Economic Community. They are consistent with the International Definition of a Midwife as developed by the International Confederation of Midwives and the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.

After the change of the law in 1992 , the North Central Florida midwifery community joined together to develop and educational program that would meet the requirements for Licensed Midwives in Florida and to create an environment that would nurture excellence in each developing midwife. In 1993, The Florida School of Traditional Midwifery, Inc. (FSTM) was incorporated as a not-for-profit organization with the State of Florida. The Florida School of Traditional Midwifery, Inc. is the result of years of hard work on the part of many dedicated women throughout the state. We are proud of our accomplishments. We are honored to be offering this unique educational experience. We believe our programs combine the best of formal education and personalized apprenticeship.

The profession of midwifery is growing and changing rapidly. As our health care systems are being reformed we feel it is essential for midwives to provide input on planning and policy for maternity care. In an effort to serve as a resource to both our students and to the midwifery community, FSTM strives to be aware and involved on both the state and national levels.