Why Is Martha Ballard Considered A Midwifery In The 18th Century?

Martha Ballard can consider a doctor, healer, and pharmacist in the 18th century colonial period. Not only was she all those things but also a mother to five children and a wife that had different duties at her household. Some differences between Martha Ballard’s practice and the new “scientifically” mandated obstetrics practiced by male physicians is that Ballard’s practice was a natural process. This process needed time, patience, and support. Even though she didn’t have a high education, she was respected by her community. However, the new male physicians had the education and the medicine that would help the mother relief the pain. This cause a change in mind for some women who couldn’t decide between a midwife, who had gone through the same pain of childbirth, or an educated new male physician who had no experience but had new technology that would help ease the pain.

Midwives knew what the soon to be mother was going through. Martha Ballard gave birth to five children, therefore had the experience. A disadvantage of midwifery was that they couldn’t do anything when there were complications with childbirth. A physician was needed in these situations. A advantage of the new male physicians was their new tools, such as the forceps, and their medicine. This medicine was able to help mothers with the pain of childbirth. However, one disadvantage was their inexperience with childbirth. Another disadvantage was the threat for women being hurt by the new tools or by medicine. According to the article “ The Medical Challenge to Midwifery”, it states “mothers faced an increasing threat of infection and the possibility of overdoses from pain medications such as laudanum or damage from