What we know about the first learned midwifes of Russia?

The archival documents that have survived to this day testify that in Russia, almost until the second half of the 18th century, only midwives provided assistance in childbirth and assistance to newborns in the first hours of life. They were most often old experienced women who "without knowing their business thoroughly, through many years of experience acquired a certain empirical ability for this practice." At this time, specially trained midwives began to appear in both capitals of Russia, but they were all foreigners invited to the country to serve the royal persons.