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Home Birth Midwifery in the United States

Evolutionary Origins and Modern Challenges

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Abstract

Human childbirth is distinct in requiring—or at least strongly profiting from—the assistance of a knowledgeable attendant to support the mother during birth. With economic modernization, the role of that attendant is transformed, and increased access to obstetric interventions may bring biomedicine into conflict with anatomical, physiological, and behavioral adaptations for childbirth. This article provides an overview of the role of midwifery in human evolution and ways in which this evolutionary heritage is reflected in home birth in the contemporary United States. Opportunities remain for evolutionary scholars to apply their knowledge and skills to strengthen culturally consonant, evolutionarily grounded maternity care within a complex, multilevel, pluralistic medical system.

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Acknowledgments

I thank Kirsten Resnick, Sara Hall, Siobhán Mattison, Rebecca Sear, and four anonymous reviewers for helpful suggestions. This work was supported by Sargent College of Boston University.

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  1. Department of Health Sciences, College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Sargent College, Boston University, 635 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA, 02215, USA

    Bria Dunham

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Dunham, B. Home Birth Midwifery in the United States. Hum Nat 27, 471–488 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12110-016-9266-7

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