Man-Midwives in The Irish News

In the countdown to my event at NI Science Festival 2026, I wrote a piece for The Irish News on male midwives and their instruments of disease. Call the Midwife! A Brief History of Pregnancy and Childbirth will take place on 16th February in the Great Hall at Queen’s University, Belfast and will give an overview of how people in previous centuries understood conception, pregnancy and giving birth.

This article delved into one aspect of the history of childbirth, when men got involved in the birthing chamber. What set them apart from the traditional female midwife was not just their gender but their inventions made to help them deliver babies as quickly as possible.

Read the article now to find out more about this fascinating development in medical history.