Midwifery

Midwifery is a medical profession devoted to the care of pregnant women, new mothers, and their unborn and newborn babies. The central responsibility of a midwife is the assistance of women in childbirth and the delivery of healthy babies. Most people call upon a midwife on only a handful of occasions in their life, typically not thinking much about the practice at all when it is not required, but the necessity of the care they provide leads to a general concern for their moral stature, as well as competence.
The history of midwifery in the Eleven Cities is only spottily attested. In rural areas, some historians assert, it was formerly one of the duties undertaken by the Boles of Dahan. Influential thaumatologist Margyas Maray discusses this notion in detail in her book on the cult. Others doubt this, or argue that individual clerics of Dahan may have taken on this role or not as they see fit. Perinatal care, such researchers argue, would otherwise have taken place largely within the family, or possibly been delegated to experienced, predominantly female individuals within the expectant woman's community. Researchers widely suppose this is the case in the post-Wesmodian era, though this is based largely on assumptions.
In urban areas, as is often the case, matters are better attested. Broadly speaking, most communities offer three different forms of obstetric care, differentiated more by social status than clinical efficacy. In cities where they operate the Brotherhood of Rooks typically offer obstetric care, but mostly only to those with personal connections to the organisation - typically relatives of members or those who can afford to support the Brotherhood either in cash or in kind. This sort of care is valued by those who receive it mostly due to its implications of social status; to have one's baby delivered by a member of the Brotherhood is considered an honour and superstitiously supposed to bode well for the child's future. Few have the connections to arrange such care, however - a major contributing factor to its perceived prestige.
The next level of care down is provided by the Keepers of Light. Descended from the devotees of Hayan, goddess of protection and mercy, this organisation abides as a general benevolent and humanitarian institution in most cities. These people's stated purview is the general welfare of the community, a mission statement that necessitates a general interest in medicine, which involves at least a passing interest in obstetrics. This appears to have been a more central aspect of the cult of Hayan before the Wesmodian Reformation, when women in labour could supposedly reasonably expect the attention of the clerics, though there may be a degree of romanticism in this perception. What is known is that a woman in labour who presents herself at one of the surviving temples of Hayan will be welcomed, celebrated, made comfortable and cared for to the extent the local Keepers can offer. This policy is a significant contributing factor to the abiding post-Wesmodian moral authority of the organisation. In most places this duty is delegated entirely to the female members of the organisation, however, as it is widely thought it improper for men to be directly involved in the operation.
Many people, however, opt to turn to women in their community for advice on this matter. Such women are typically mature or elderly and esteemed for their experience, this being measured either in terms of the number of children the woman has had herself or the length of time she has been performing this function for her family or community. It is not clear if such care is any more or less efficient than that provided by either the Brotherhood or the Keepers, though it is fair to say that such women typically enjoy less of a reputation than their institutional (and mostly patriarchal) fellows. Families of the new mother will often largely ignore these community midwives once a healthy baby has been delivered, though the mother herself may reach out for post-partum care and advice. The majority of urban dwellers, particularly at the lower socio-economic strata, will be delivered by these community midwives, and thus may well never know the medical practitioner who brought them into the world.

Type

Medical