International Day of the Midwife was first celebrated May 5 1991 and has since been observed in over 50 nations around the world.

The idea of having a day to recognize and honor midwives came out of the 1987 International Confederation of Midwives conference in the Netherlands.

The 2019 theme is: Midwives: Defender of Women’s Rights. Learn more at the official International Confederation of Midwives website.