Can you explain the key differences between the history of midwifery in the USA compared to the history of midwifery in the UK?
An essential difference in the history of midwifery in the UK and USA lies in its relationship with the professions of nursing and medicine: it was allied with nursing and not deemed economically threatening by obstetricians in the UK, whereas in the US, midwifery struggled to establish a professional space in which to practice.
The British parliament sanctioned the practice of midwifery in 1902 with the establishment of the Central Midwives Board. This formally regulated training, conductedsupervised model of care and obstetricians felt neither competition nor animosity towards well-trained midwives. As a result, midwifery has maintained its position as a central component of maternity care in the UK.
