My name is Maia, and I am a 47-year-old midwife living in Rome.
Midwives are women who assist other women during childbirth.
Midwifery is a profession that has been practiced since human families have been having children.
My mother taught me how to be a midwife, and she taught me well.
Giving birth is a joyous event, but it can be dangerous.
So a midwife must, with the help of the gods, make sure the mother and her child are healthy and safe.
In 146 BC Roman soldiers destroyed the Greek city of Corinth, made my mother a slave, and took her to Rome.
Romans respect Greek science, and Greek midwives like my mother are well trained.
When my mother settled in Rome in her master's house, he allowed her to work as a midwife for other families.
She was paid well, so my mother was able to save some money.
Soon she was able to buy her freedom.
From age nine, I accompanied my mother to every birth and learned the craft.
I discovered how women experience the birth of children.
For example, it is natural for women to be fearful, especially when they are having their first child.
Older mothers are more confident and understand that the pain eventually ends.
But the first time I saw a birth, I became sick to my stomach.
I had not expected such a large amount of blood, and the birth was very messy.
The new mother cried so much that I cried too.
My mother sternly told me that a good midwife must be calm in order to be a strong support for the mother.
Even though there are some sad moments, being a midwife has many joys.
So I am teaching my daughter Sofia this craft too.
To be a good midwife, you should be able to read and write.
When my mother was young, midwives learned mostly from experience, but now, midwives have some medical knowledge too.
Hippocrates, the Greek physician, wrote a lot about women and their babies,
and good midwives need to read and understand his ideas to deal with some of the problems that can arise during childbirth.
Midwives also have to understand the nature of plants; for example, we need to know which herbs make labor and childbirth easier.
One time a woman was in labor for over 12 hours, and the pain was almost unbearable.
She became very tired and weak, so I made tea from the root of vervain, a plant with small purple flowers.
When the mother drank this tea, it helped to speed up the delivery of her child, and her baby boy was born an hour later.
Every woman should have a midwife when she is going to have a baby, but in Rome only wealthy women can hire one.
When a woman first believes she is going to have a baby, she sends her slave to ask me to visit.
Then I go to the woman's home to examine her body for signs that she will be a mother.
I ask the woman many questions, and her answers help me determine when natal day—the day of birth—will be.
Usually it takes about nine months for a baby to develop inside a woman.
But every woman is different. Sometimes natal day comes a bit early and sometimes it is late.
Even a midwife cannot know the exact day the baby will come.
Most of the time, childbirth begins when the mother starts feeling labor spasms.
Then a slave is sent to me, and I go quickly to the mother's home with two or three assistants.
My daughter is one of them. Upon arrival we are taken into a room where the mother is lying in bed, usually in great pain.
We bring soft strips of cloth, a pillow, herbs, and a special birthing chair.
It is easier for mothers to give birth if they are sitting, rather than lying down.
First we warm olive oil and water in pots.
My assistants soak the soft cloths in water and then fold them against the woman's sides as she lies in bed.
I massage the mother's belly and hips with warm olive oil too.
The warmth eases the pain. Childbirth may take a few hours or last as long as a few days.
But midwives always stay until the baby arrives.
When the baby is ready to be born, my assistants and I carefully move the mother to the birthing chair.
This chair has a wooden back and armrests that the mother can hold on to during the delivery.
The seat is carved in the shape of a crescent moon so I can easily catch the baby when it comes out.
My assistants hold the mother's shoulders and arms, and I bend down between the mother's legs.
When I see the head of the baby coming out, I quickly wrap my hands in cloth or thin papyrus.
I do this to make sure the baby does not slip out of my grasp. Finally the baby is born.
Before giving the baby to the mother, I make sure it is healthy.
I check the baby's arms and legs and count all the fingers and toes.
A loud cry means the baby is strong.
I also press a finger against the baby's skin to see if the baby is sensitive to touch.
Then I cut the umbilical cord with a piece of pottery.
After giving the baby a nice warm bath, I wrap it in a soft wool blanket, put it on a pillow, and give the baby to its mother.
It is a Roman custom for the mother to then put the newborn on the floor.
The father comes into the room and lifts the baby up to announce the new member of his family.
I enjoy helping women give birth. There is no greater joy and satisfaction than seeing a new life enter this world.