Eileithyia comes from the Greek Pantheon and she is the goddess of childbirth and labor pain. She was called upon to help the laboring woman endure the pain, and to help move the labor along... but she could also slow things down causing a protracted labor.
Here she is depicted attending Zeus as he gives birth to Athena (emerging from his head fully grown and in full armor). Eileithyia is the one on the left.
When I was dancing with The Goddess Dancing, I created a dance called MotherBirth in which I danced the part of Artemis in her midwife role. Karen danced the part of a veiled wise woman whose job it was to protect the birthing - and I now realize that she was Eileithyia! According to David Meltzer, Eileithyia was usually depicted as being veiled from head to foot.
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