In the early 20th century, however, as childbirth became medicalized, physicians emerged as the primary birth attendants and childbirth moved from the home to the hospital. Midwives delivered about half of all babies in the U.S. in the early 1900s; by 1930, however, that figure had dropped to fifteen percent.
“Until the late 19th century, the majority of births were attended by midwives, many of whom were Black, indigenous, or immigrant women.”