ABSTRACT
Midwives and obstetricians are the major personal care providers for the childbearing woman. They treat her, help her, and, they hope, support her through this important, rare, and special period in her life. For the woman, her care providers can assume an intimate importance she will remember for the rest of her life; what they do, what they say, and how they behave toward her, her baby, and her family may be unforgettable influences on her experience of becoming a mother Her family, too, understand that the professionals attending her are important and may recall some of their sayings and doings a long time after the birth itself.
