A male midwife in eastern China has won praise for his professionalism and striking looks while defying relatives who dismissed his career choice as embarrassing.
Zhang Jintao, 25, from Yiwu in Zhejiang province, became a midwife at a leading provincial hospital after graduating from university.
According to Southern Daily, men accounted for just three per cent of China’s nurses in 2021, the number of male midwives was even fewer.
Zhang told the mainland medical outlet Yixuejie that some older male relatives had criticised his choice of career, calling it “shameful” and “embarrassing.”
But he said witnessing childbirth left him deeply moved by women’s strength and convinced him his work was meaningful.
His greatest challenge was earning the trust of expectant mothers and their families. Due to traditional attitudes towards privacy, some women refuse care from male midwives.
Zhang said respecting patients’ wishes was fundamental. Despite once considering quitting the job, he ultimately chose to stay.
During one night shift, Zhang encountered a woman in rapid labour, a high-risk condition that can lead to severe maternal bleeding or intracranial haemorrhage in the newborn.
After examining her, he used his hands to slow the delivery of the baby’s head while repeatedly reassuring the mother.
The woman gave birth safely, and hearing the baby’s first cry gave Zhang a profound sense of achievement.
Zhang rejects the common perception that midwives are merely doctors’ assistants performing basic nursing duties.
He said that midwives play an essential role at every stage: monitoring fetal development before birth, guiding women through labour, identifying risks, assisting with pain relief and advising mothers on breastfeeding after delivery.
In China, midwives are trained mainly in nursing and routine delivery care, while obstetricians are doctors qualified to treat complications, perform surgery and manage high-risk pregnancies.
Zhang believes the job also demands physical strength, giving male midwives a chance to show “powerful tenderness”.
“Midwives need to understand the pain mothers endure during childbirth and help ease their anxiety. If medical staff become impatient at that moment, it only makes things worse for them,” he told the mainland media.
Zhang is one of three male midwives in the obstetrics department.
His good looks have also drawn attention, with many comparing him to actors Zhang Linghe and Chen Xiao.
One pregnant woman told the local media that Zhang was gentle, professional and as attentive as his female colleagues.
“We look forward every day to this handsome midwife making ward rounds. It really lifts our mood,” she said.
Zhang reportedly plans to continue studying and promoting medical science to help more people better understand childbirth.
“Medicine has no gender. Male midwives also have our own strengths,” he said.
One online observer said: “It is encouraging to see such an outstanding male midwife. Once trust in professional expertise is established, gender differences gradually become less important.”
While another netizen wrote: “How lucky for a newborn to be greeted by such a handsome midwife.” -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
