The art of midwifery in eight countries, including Luxembourg, was added to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2023. However, the practice is not specific to Luxembourg; instead, it is a craft handed down over centuries, made up of skills and knowledge to support before, during, and after childbirth.
Sheila Schmit is one of around 230 professional midwives in Luxembourg, the majority of whom work in hospitals. After spending 15 years working on a maternity ward, Sheila now practises as a freelance midwife. “We see a lot of women, from lots of different cultures in this country, who really feel alone,” she says. “So our job is to accompany the couple for a long time.” The recognition by UNESCO has brought Sheila and her colleagues great joy, but she hopes it doesn’t stop there. The profession requires further development in Luxembourg, she explains:
“A pregnant woman can choose to have a hospital birth or a home birth. We now have a few mothers who opt for home births, but there’s nothing in between the two options. Abroad, you have maternity hospitals with delivery wards run by midwives. In Germany, you have the term ‘Beleghebamme’, or attending midwife, who accompanies the expectant mother throughout her pregnancy and goes with her to the hospital. I think we need discussions in Luxembourg so women have more choices about how they want to experience childbirth.”
Caroline Steffen-Robert, who was supported by Sheila during her pregnancy, says she is grateful for midwives’ work. “We would have struggled otherwise. I don’t want to say we would have been on our own, because we do have family here, but it’s a whole new area. You have so many fears about whether you’re doing things properly, so it’s nice to have someone to rely on like a midwife.”
Midwives also help to care for women after giving birth, such as Patrice Jacoby. Since her latest charge, new mother Kelly Lucius, gave birth to her first-born son Lou 21 days ago, Patrice has visited both mum and baby five times to check on their conditions. “You build trust, it’s a bit like a family relationship,” Kelly says. “You need someone with whom you feel comfortable enough to ask questions you might not ask otherwise.”
Whether in Luxembourg or elsewhere around the world, midwives create a safe environment for mothers to give birth, and for parents to manage on their own after their baby has arrived. Patrice says: “A midwife in Africa might not have the same means to work as we do in Luxembourg, but she’s still able to support a pregnant woman in the best way possible, through all the options. The job is more or less the same all around the world, simply to bring a child into the world with our own hands.”
The addition of midwifery to UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity celebrates the ancient art, and hopes to preserve it for future generations.
Video report in Luxembourgish:
