Transitions in Midwifery – The Hong Kong Story

For most of history across different cultures, women have given birth at home attended to by other women who were relatives, friends or the traditional midwife with no formal training. Childbirth was a dangerous affair, no wonder there was an old Chinese saying: “Childbirth is separated from death by just a thin paper.” The rate of infant mortality was also high. Nowadays, in developed countries, childbirth is relatively safe for both mother and child, much less painful, and attended to by properly-trained midwives and obstetricians, working mostly in hospitals. This exhibition will tell you the story of how this transition came about in Hong Kong. Read more