Catherine Kaidyee Blaikley

Catherine Kaidyee Blaikley (c. 1695 – 1771) was an 18th-century American landowner and midwife, best known for claims that she had delivered over 3,000 children.

Biography Catherine Blaikley was born around 1695 to William and Martha Kaidyee, in York County, Virginia. She was the couple's only daughter and had two brothers. Catherine married her husband William Blaikley, a merchant

Blaikley died in October 1771 and was buried in the cemetery at Bruton Parish Church. An obituary ran in one of the newspapers of the day and described her as an "eminent midwife." In the 1950s Colonial Williamsburg restored Blaikley's home and it is now a historical tourist site.

Career It is unknown exactly when Blaikley began working as a midwife but historian Linda Sturz has stated that it was likely around three years after the death of her husband. Midwifery, or the care of women before, during, and after birth, was a common and respectable occupation during this time and was often a full-time job. This was one of the few medically related careers that was not discriminatory against women worldwide. However, women were expected to call upon a physician should severe complications arise. In America, before the revolution and medical schools were in place, there were no restrictions on women to practice medicine, so it is likely Blaikley dealt with these issues on her own. Blaikley was reported to have delivered upwards of three thousand children, presumably both free and enslaved. Blaikley supplemented her income by lodging politicians, businessmen, and other important figures traveling through Virginia's capital.