His research found that for the better part of the 20th century, lay midwives in the United States were considered a risky alternative to obstetricians. Doctors across the nation initiated a campaign to discredit midwifery. They succeeded in the legal arena, Stewart said, and states began outlawing midwives. By 1950, midwife-assisted births in the United States declined from 50 percent to 12 percent. In 1975, there were 26 midwifery schools and about 1,200 CNMs in the United States.
Many midwives encourage women to avoid pain medication such as epidurals during labor.
A woman's inner strength and emotional support network will get her through the pain, they say. In fact, it is confidence in a woman's innate strength that attracts many expectant mothers to midwife-assisted births. Joelle and Billy Talton are awaiting their first baby boy, due March 28. They don't need drugs. Conner did not use an epidural during Odessa's birth and was impressed by how much more alert Odessa was, as compared to babies she had seen after drug-assisted deliveries.