Historical Development of Certified Nurse Midwifery

Historical Development of Certified Nurse Midwifery Institution: Course: Name: Date: Historical Development of Certified Nurse Midwifery Various events between 1910 and 1920 made doctors take the role of midwives and set the new basis for childbirth medical care in America (Van Teijlingen, 2004). According to health reports in 1912, most of the midwives were poorly trained. The reports recommended improvements in obstetrics training, having deliveries in hospitals, and removal of midwifery services in childbirth. In this case, poor women in the society were to attend charity hospitals that served as training sites for doctors. Twilight sleep involving the usage scopolamine and morphine was introduced in 1914 as a pain relief and for erasing memories of giving birth in women (Bourgeault, Benoit, & Davis-Floyd, 2004). However, major contributions towards nurse-midwifery are attributed to Dr. Joseph DeLee and Mary Breckinridge. Considering the negative effects of the twilight sleep, Dr. Joseph DeLee introduced several practices that saved women from the difficulties associated with labor in 1915. According to DeLee, routine use of sedative, ether, episiotomies, and forceps...