International Day of the Midwife
Next: May 5, 2027
Thank the first hands that held us.
The story
Where it comes from
The International Day of the Midwife is led by the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), which brings together midwives' associations from around the world. The idea of a day for midwives was discussed at ICM congresses in the 1980s and agreed at the congress in Kobe, Japan, in 1990. The first international day followed on 5 May in the early 1990s (sources give 1991 or 1992), and it has been held every year since, to celebrate midwives and to call for more of them.
How it's celebrated
Midwives' associations, hospitals and midwifery schools hold talks, gatherings and campaigns, and ICM sets a call to action for the profession each year. Families often use the day to thank the midwife who helped bring a child into the world. A card or a short note to a midwife you remember is a simple way to join in.
Did you know
- New Zealand's midwives were marking a midwives' day as early as 1987, before it became an international day.
- ICM has its headquarters in The Hague, in the Netherlands, and works with more than 100 midwives' associations.
- A 2021 report led by ICM, UNFPA and WHO estimated that widening midwife-led care could avert about 2.2 million deaths of mothers and babies, including stillbirths, every year by 2035.
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