ABSTRACT
An aspiring midwife of today, like her sisters of the Middle Ages, may enter childbirth circles through an enraptured “calling” to transform each mother and her own life during the sacred act of birth. Another may choose an infinitely more practical but no less rewarding path to ambitiously embark on a search for a professional career in midwifery, choose the “best midwifery school” and accreditation system, engage in medical research, and even dare envision a little brush with fame. In North America, the eager and willing coming from either point of entry stand to encounter major disappointment. The spiritual idealist commonly discovers that her chosen route of education or the mothers who “just want to have a baby” may not suitably measure up to the midwife’s spiritual aspirations. The career builder will become disillusioned that in spite of scientific proof of the efficacy of midwifery care, even midwives graduating from prestigious schools have to defend their credibility, the right to insurance and hospital privileges, and indeed the right to practice.
