What does midwifery mean?
Midwifery is the care and professional practice supporting women through pregnancy, childbirth, and the period shortly after birth. The term usually refers to the work of midwives, trained professionals who provide clinical care, emotional support, information, and assistance during labour and postnatal recovery. Midwifery is closely related to obstetrics, but the two terms are not interchangeable: obstetrics names the wider branch of medicine concerned with reproduction, while midwifery highlights the profession and practice of midwives. The word is common in healthcare systems, professional education, and public policy, especially in discussions of maternity services, antenatal care, home birth, and hospital delivery. Its history is embedded in the older word “midwife,” whose components literally referred to a woman who was “with” another woman during childbirth. Today, midwifery combines traditional continuity of care with modern clinical training, making it an important area of maternal healthcare.
nounThe work or profession of caring for women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the period immediately after birth. It also refers more broadly to the care provided by midwives.
- The profession or practice of providing care to women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period, especially through the work of midwives.
"The hospital's midwifery team provides continuity of care throughout pregnancy and childbirth."
"She studied midwifery and later worked in a rural birth centre."
"The report recommended stronger midwifery services for families living in remote areas."
Rare. The word is normally uncountable, but the conventional plural is used when referring to multiple midwifery services or institutions.
"The two midwiferies shared staff and training programmes."
The word “midwifery” begins with a quiet historical clue: “mid” once meant “with,” and “wife” once meant “woman,” so a midwife was literally a woman who was “with” a woman in childbirth.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does midwifery come from?
Midwifery developed in the 19th century from “midwife” with the suffix “-ery.” The older word comes from Old English “midwīf,” formed from “mid,” meaning “with,” and “wīf,” meaning “woman,” reflecting the historical role of women attending other women in childbirth. The modern form reflects the later professionalization of that work as a branch of healthcare.
How midwifery is actually used
Midwifery is a formal term used particularly in healthcare, education, and professional contexts. It commonly refers to the work of midwives rather than to the medical discipline of obstetrics, although the fields overlap closely.
Easily confused with midwifery
Obstetrics is the broader medical field concerned with pregnancy, childbirth, and the reproductive system, whereas midwifery specifically refers to care provided by midwives.
A midwife is a person who provides care during pregnancy and childbirth, while midwifery is the profession or practice of that care.