“They caught the babies, / and catch them still, / welcome them into the world, / for loving.” (“The Women”) Following an introduction about the role of midwives throughout history, this work pays tribute to the role that African American midwives have played and continued to play in African American experience. Poems titled “Africa to America” (pre-slavery and slavery), “After Emancipation, 1863,” “The Early 1900s,” and “The Early 2000s” chronicle the changing context and changing lives of midwives and their patients (e.g., born into freedom, the midwife being summoned by a husband in horse and buggy, the midwife’s arrival in her own car), with the pain and love that are part of birth a constant. In a final poem, “Miss Rovenia Mayo,” author Greenfield pays tribute to the midwife who caught her when she was born on May 17, 1929. Black-and-white photographs, both archival and from the author’s personal collection, appear in the volume’s introduction and the final poem, while arresting paintings full of pattern and color, heart and hope, illustrate the remainder of this singular volume. (Age 12 and older)

The Women Who Caught the Babies highlights important aspects of the training and work of African-American midwives and the ways in which they have helped, and continue to help, so many families by "catching" their babies at birth. The blend of Eloise Greenfield's poetry and Daniel Minter's art evokes heartfelt appreciation of the abilities of African-American midwifes over the course of time. The poem "Africa to America" begins the poetic journey. The poem "The Women" both heralds the poetry/art pairing and concludes it with a note of gratitude. Also included is a piece titled "Miss Rovenia Mayo," which pays tribute to the midwife who caught newborn Eloise.