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The Rise And Fall Of African American Midwifery In The South, Nicole M. Bernard

Electronic Dissertations and Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to give insight into the role played by the African American midwife in the rural south, including Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, and Florida. The African American midwife was responsible for prenatal care, delivery, and a certain degree of postnatal care for the mother and the infant. During slavery, she was all that the slaves had. The African American midwife also aided in delivery of some of the whites as well in a time when blacks were considered to be no more than animals. This proves that the African American midwife was more than a savage …