Al-Daya: A profession since its inception we knew that it would disappear.

Al-Daya: A profession since its inception we knew that it would disappear.

"Al - Daya" is a lady's profession that helps pregnant women deliver their babies. She also describes the herbs that are given to women after birth and take care of the mother and new-born health, despite its long history, it is facing extinction due to the massive medical development and its existence became confined to some poor rural villages.

If you are interested to know more, here is some information about it:

The beginning of "Al - Daya"

Historians believe that the profession of Daya is among the oldest professions practiced by women in Egypt from the dawn of history, and have existed since ancient Pharaonic times.

How "Al - Daya" does her job?

She makes the pregnant woman crouch down as she squats, with her knees bent, and put her hands on her thighs and under her knees, there is a brick or two, so there is a space for the baby to come out.

The End's beginning:

The fight against "Al - Daya" had begun officially in Egypt in 1964 under the auspices of the "Happy Childhood Association" where they discussed reducing the work of "Al - Daya" and limiting the spread of this profession more by establishing the family medical centers take care to the new-born babies and of course the pregnant women.

The disappearance of Al - Daya:

After many selling babies’ incidents, the death of others, and causing damage to the mother's health, "Al - Daya" almost disappeared in Egypt.

The United Nations Population Fund recently released a report on the "state of midwifery in the world for 2021" to highlight the world's acute shortage of midwives, exposing them as the cause of disease and deaths in millions of women and babies.

Eventually, the job doesn’t need to be good because it does something good. It may be harmful and bad. Besides, you will not know unless you dig deeper, it may take ages or centuries like this one.

Written and translated by:

Noha Radwan Abdelaziz

ID: 2019-09866