Daily Ancestorobstetrix
Obstetrix is Latin for "midwife"; some baptism entries name the midwife who delivered the child or who baptized a child in danger of death.
Obstetrix means midwife. Some registers record her name in each baptism entry, and when a newborn seemed likely to die before a priest could come, the register may note that the child was baptized at home.
A midwife was usually not a relative, so do not add her to the family tree. If the entry says she baptized the child at home in danger of death, the date given may be that home baptism rather than a later ceremony in church.
As seen in a recordLine in a printed Latin baptism register
Obstetrix: Barbara Fox
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "obstetrix." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/latin/obstetrix. Last checked 2026-10-01.