Written By: Zeinab Uddin

The story of forceps is one many have never heard, yet it changed birth forever. In the 16th century, a family of male barber-surgeons - the Chamberlens - invented the obstetric forceps.
They guarded their tool in secrecy for over a hundred years, arriving at births with it hidden in a box, blindfolding laboring women and their attendants so no one could see what they used.
When the secret was finally revealed, the invention was praised as a "medical breakthrough" and quickly spread across Europe.

In the early 20th century, the introduction of forceps was celebrated as a great medical advancement.
It allowed doctors to “rescue” babies thought to be stuck during birth - and while in some cases it did save lives, it also changed the entire culture of childbirth. Birth began shifting from a natural, woman-led process to a medical procedure controlled by instruments and interventions.

But there was a catch: using forceps often caused vaginal tearing, which made the process messy and unpredictable. To make room for the instruments, doctors began performing episiotomies - a surgical cut in the perineum.
This was marketed as a way to make birth “safer” and “easier,” supposedly preventing larger tears and speeding recovery. In reality, it was simply a means to make forceps use more convenient.

Over time, even when forceps fell out of favor and were no longer used routinely, the practice of episiotomy stayed. The original reason for the cut - making room for an instrument - was forgotten, yet the habit lingered, passed down from one generation of medical training to the next.

Modern evidence tells a different story. Studies have shown that routine episiotomies do not prevent severe tears, but rather increase pain, scarring, and long-term pelvic floor issues.
Today, respected organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), and the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) all recommend that episiotomies only be done when absolutely necessary - such as in rare emergencies, not as a routine part of birth.

Understanding how these practices began helps us see why evidence - based birth care is so important. Many modern interventions weren't born from research or women's needs, but from convenience and outdated assumptions. The more we learn about where these habits came from, the more we can return birth to what it was meant to be: a natural, physiological process, guided by trust and respect for a woman’s body.

When we understand the history, we can make wiser choices for the future of birth.