Parteras, nodrizas y cuidadoras en Mesopotamia

Abstract

This paper focuses on the Mesopotamian female prac-tices connected with birth and post-natal care. Most of this information comes from Sumerian and Acadian texts on the birth goddesses who help other divinities with techniques and procedures that emanated from real human contexts. The author argues for the im-portance of the personal experience of midwifes and wet-nurses in transmitting knowledge about the pro-cesses of birth and child- care. In addition the paper stresses the emotional role of wet-nurses and their on-going relationship with the children from childhood to adulthood.