The practice of midwifery in German-speaking states has a rich and multifaceted history over multiple centuries that goes well beyond expected paradigms of female/private versus male/public. Midwives in these regions have not only functioned at the heart of a private women-centred community, rife with custom and shrouded in mystery (at least to the men who remained exempt from the experience), they have also shared a long relationship with governing officials, often serving as both barometers and enforcers of public rules and regulations. This role as intermediary between labouring woman and social authority is indicated by their very name, Hebammen, which stems from the Old High German word Heve-amme. While some associate the word with amme (wet-nurse), in this context amme actually means ‘mother’ or ‘grandmother’, and heven is a derivation of the verb heben meaning ‘to lift’. The term itself dates back to around the eighth century when midwives were given the honour and responsibility of placing a newborn on its father's shield and presenting both to the father; if the father removed the child from the shield, the infant was then accepted into the community.