老娘 is a noun with several distinct meanings depending on context. It can refer to one's own mother (or grandmother, in some dialects) as a kinship term, often with a warm or slightly informal tone. It also historically means 'midwife' (now mostly in traditional settings). Most notably, a middle-aged or older woman may refer to herself as 老娘 in assertive or confrontational speech — this carries a sense of confidence, defiance, or even crudeness depending on the situation. The self-referential use is especially common in northern Chinese colloquial speech.