Help! 1800's Birth Record Question RE: "e' comparsa"

[Analisa33]

Hi, I have recently begun researching my ancestry and found the FamilySearch.org site very helpful, as it contains many records from my maternal grandparents' town of San Pier Niceto, Messina, Sicily. I believe my great-great-great grandmother's name was Giuseppa Antonuccio (b. 1821?). A Giuseppa Antonuccio was listed on numerous birth records in the 1870's as "e' comparsa", with her age being in her mid-50's, so that would correspond with my ancestor. She seems to have attended many of the births of those surnames associated with my family tree. Could she have been a mid-wife of some sort? Molto grazie! - Analisa

[Italysearcher]

Her profession would have been listed as 'levatrice' if she was a midwife.
'è comparsa' means ' declared' so she probably delivered the baby then took it to city hall to declare the birth to the authorities.

[Analisa33]

Thanks so much!

[Analisa33]

She seems to have delivered a lot of babies, as I mentioned... did that responsibility usually fall to an older female relative?