Who are midwives in Russia, what rules they strictly followed and how they confirmed their qualifications

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

All women, regardless of class, turned to midwives in Russia. The birth itself, as well as the further condition of the mother and child, depended on how experienced and accurate the representative of this profession was. Therefore, good midwives were very much appreciated. And the graduates are simply worth their weight in gold. Read in the material how they worked, what requirements were imposed on them, and what the ideal midwife was in Russia.

Impeccable reputation

The midwives were chosen carefully. In the cities of the 18th century, they looked through advertisements in the newspapers, and in the villages they tried to opt for those with an excellent reputation. During the reign of Catherine the Great, the following requirements were imposed on midwives: modesty, decent behavior, a complete rejection of alcohol and the ability to keep secrets. There was the Oath of Midwives, which provided for abstinence from alcohol and did not allow to treat women in childbirth rudely, as well as the use of abuse.

The rules for midwives also provided for impeccable behavior: one should be a faithful wife, take the sacrament on time and receive a blessing from a clergyman for work. Only those women who could no longer have a child were allowed to be a midwife.

Women preferred midwives who had children of their own. Such a "grandmother" understood how hard it was for a woman in labor. If the midwife had many cases of infant deaths on her account, she was invited only as a last resort. Some midwives took sin on their souls and performed abortions (gluttony). This ran counter to obstetric ethics and was considered unacceptable.

How Russian midwives began to receive educational diplomas

Sometimes the midwife is presented as a village old woman, illiterate, who uses rituals and conspiracies in her work. This is not entirely true. Interestingly, since 1754, midwives began to confirm their specialization with diplomas. When a decree was issued to establish institutions that teach the art of giving birth, every woman who wanted to become a midwife had to complete a special 6-year course. After that, official permission was issued. In addition, newly minted specialists took the oath. Women who graduated from such schools were required to be included in a special police register, such as firefighters and lamplighters.

The Troubled Life of Midwives

Most often, women became midwives "by inheritance." For example, my grandmother had a lot of experience in this business and shared her experience with her granddaughter. It happened that several genera were successful, and the so-called "word of mouth" worked. Many worked completely disinterestedly, but some mastered their profession, counting on earnings.

In accordance with the oath, the midwife should have run to the woman in labor, regardless of her financial situation and class. It was impossible to refuse, even if the payment was very small. Often the midwife was offered “in kind” as a reward. It could be home textiles, bread, soap. Gradually, they began to present money instead. Until the beginning of the 20th century, there was such a practice that wealthy families invited a doctor to give birth, but this was done for safety reasons. In fact, they were just in a separate room, and the midwife did her business. Yes, the midwife easily coped with her tasks. In addition, in those days, few women in labor wanted a male doctor to take part in the intimate process. It was very important that midwives did not use obstetric forceps, which were associated with cases of harm to the baby. Experience made it possible to do without this even in the most difficult cases, for example, when the first birth occurred, or the woman in labor had a too narrow pelvis, and the baby had a lot of weight and size.

The midwives knew all the obstetric manipulations necessary for the difficult position of the fetus, they knew how to pierce the bladder and carefully remove the afterbirth. There are mentions of incredibly skillful midwives of the Vologda region, who know how to cut the umbilical cord with a “fingernail”, skillfully clamp the vessels, so much so that there was no need to bandage the umbilical cord.

Highly qualified midwives were able to "rule a newborn", that is, to straighten and stretch out various defects of the child with the help of their hands. In a word, sculpt a little man with ideal proportions from a baby.

How ancient midwives could give odds to modern gynecologists and obstetricians

The duties of a midwife included more than just giving birth. She tried to minimize the torment of the woman in labor, using special words, medicinal decoctions, conspiracies. In addition, the "grandmother" prepared the woman for childbirth and provided further care for the mother and baby.

The midwife was responsible for preparing the site for the birthing process. For peasants it could be a bathhouse, barn or barn, for wealthy people - a special chair that was installed in the bedroom. There were many prenatal rituals. “The grandmother accompanied each of her actions with special conspiracies, prayers. When the woman in labor was safely relieved of the burden, the midwife did not immediately leave her. She was there for at least three days. Moreover, the "grandmother" did her homework instead of mommy - she cooked dinner, milked the cows, cleaned the hut. After all, the woman who had just given birth simply did not have the strength to do it. Interestingly, midwives were rarely mistaken. It happened that doctors did not always detect pregnancy. The midwife was unmistakably guided by the symptoms and condition of the expectant mother. They felt the abdomen and gave a diagnosis - pregnancy, which was distinguished from the usual hysterical seizure with some kind of illness or "cramps in the stomach." So, without any instruments, such as a modern ultrasound machine, midwives made correct diagnoses, relying on experience and knowledge collected bit by bit.

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