The word "midwife" derives from Old English, "mid" meaning "with", and "wif" meaning "woman" - that is, it refers to the person (not necessarily a woman) who is with the mother giving birth.

Why do they call midwives midwives?

Definition and etymology

The word derives from Old English mid, "with," and wif, "woman," and thus originally meant "with-woman," that is, the person who is with the woman (mother) at childbirth. The word refers to midwives regardless of gender.

Are there male midwives?

It's been 40 years since men have been allowed to practice midwifery in the UK and there are under 200 male midwives in the UK - crazy!