Hey man, I don’t “accoucher” – I Midwife

Interesting.

I just came across the meaning of the word accoucher. Funnier still, I came across it while reading one of the last books in the Outlander series on my Kindle. Being the curious little brain I am I asked my device for the definition. It said “male midwife”. Slightly offended after having “accouchered” many births to become a registered midwife, I needed to look further into this. The definition of accoucher ranges from ‘a male midwife’, someone who assists birth “mainly an obstetrician”, associations with ideas like “unburdening” and “delivery”. Female midwives have been known as such since the 1200-1300’s whereas the term accoucher came about in the 1800s. Pretty much around the time male birth attendants became the norm and not long before midwifery practice became outlawed in various locations around the world.

Previously I had thought an accoucher was the primary caregiver directly helping the woman giving birth. It is to an extent but historically it appears that it was introduced as term for male birth attendant but miwives could be included. As a secondary notion of course….

Funny the little rabbit holes we go down and the terms we blindly accept without really considering their origin, meaning or intent. Universities really should avoid using this terminology, especially given the overwhelming majority of its students are female.

🧐 🤔

This is a short one friends. I dont accoucher births. I dont catch babies because they are not something to be thrown. I dont deliver babies because they are not pizza’s. I support women to birth their babies. I am the primary care midwife. Or, plain and simple – I am a midwife. I am with woman ♡