Consideration of the evolutionary and cross-cultural history of childbirth reveals many differences between the ways in which
most human females have experienced childbirth and the ways in which most women in contemporary industrialized obstetric settings
experience the event. In this paper I review two of these differences: the pain and anxiety of labor and delivery and the
discontinuity of care provided for the mother and infant. I argue that much of the dissatisfaction with birth practices in
the United States results from the failure of modern obstetric practice to meet the evolved needs of mothers and infants.
Key words Childbirth - Evolution - Mother-infant interaction - Midwifery
Wenda Trevathan is an associate professor of anthropology at New Mexico State University. Her research interests focus on
evolutionary and biosocial aspects of human female reproductive behavior, including childbirth, sexuality, and menopause.
She is the recipient of the 1990 Margaret Mead Award and has received midwifery training.