Children, the most important thing in our lives, are placed at the center of many traditional Bulgarian rituals and folk customs. Bulgarians have always traditionally paid special tribute and respect to those women who help the offspring come alive and healthy into this world. Normally in Bulgarian folklore, midwives used to be called grandmothers (baba) because elderly women were regarded as the carriers of century-old folk wisdom and knowledge of nature, the universe and the mystery of the emergence of a new beginning. The woman who stays closest to the woman-in-childbirth is at the heart of one of the most life-affirming holidays in the traditional calendar of Bulgarians, called Babinden (Granny's Day or Midwives' Day). The ritual dates back to pagan times, but was preserved and even revered by many during the Renaissance. Traditionally, on January 21 - Babinden, there must be a lot of laughter and joy, because for Bulgarians it has always been important to give birth to healthy, beautiful and smart children. Our people used to say, "A house without children can be left to the fire to burn" or "What is greater than the king? - The child, is the response”.

According to the custom, before sunrise mothers with young children visited the home of the granny midwife where they helped her wash her hands. The ritual symbolizes honor and respect for her and the values that she represents through her humane work.

Today, Babinden has lost a lot of its former ritual practices, but it is still celebrated as the day of midwives and doctors in the wards for maternity care in medical institutions. Also celebrations involving young mothers are held. The young mother pours water to wash the hands of the midwife and homemade bread is eaten for health. Also, holy water is part of the ritual as a symbol of health and protection. At the Maichin Dom University Hospital, there is a tradition of awarding the prize "Golden Hands", which honors the best midwife on the team.

Milka Vassileva is chairperson of the Bulgarian Association of Healthcare Professionals and knows closely the work of modern midwives. According to her, the number of these women in the country has decreased because of the hard work and a lack of decent wages in the healthcare system.

"Midwives look after healthy pregnant women, young mothers and women in labor in most cases. Midwives have a pleasant and beneficial profession full of hope and excitement. Their professionalism shows best in prevention care. Their role is crucial, especially in terms of the demographic crisis, when we have to do all we can so that we can use their work in the best possible way. Unfortunately, in the years of healthcare reforms in Bulgaria the practice of patronage care with midwives who used to be helping mothers years ago was eliminated. In such centers midwives are able to track problematic pregnancy, to give advice to mothers and take care of them in the early period after birth. Due to the lack of a midwife in rural areas and among vulnerable groups in which women have no health insurance, they often have no one to turn to. Our society owes a great respect for the work of midwives as their help seems to remain invisible. Only when women fall into the maternity ward, they understand how much they can rely on midwives and how good it feels when they have an experienced professional at their side in order to be calm on the day of birth,” says Milka Vasileva.

The circle of specialists who today take care of the health of the mother and the expected baby is expanding. There is hardly a mother who will skip an appointment with the doctor for prenatal diagnosis and therapy. This is the specialty of Dr. Marina Mihova, obstetrician in one of the leading private hospitals in Sofia.

"Prenatal medicine helps in preventing many problems noted earlier during the pregnancy. This is a very important bridge to the doctors who work in the delivery room because it presupposes more success in their work. Bulgarian patients are very well informed about what to expect from the doctor and the medical equipment. Knowledge is important because it helps women respond to the news they receive in our office calmly and objectively. When a birth is accompanied with difficulties, it leaves a deep imprint in the mind. So every year the first to congratulate me on my professional holiday are precisely the women who have overcome the biggest obstacles in the months preceding birth," says Dr. Marina Mihova.

English Rossitsa Petcova