Pregnancy And Child Birth Picture

A good general reference for the Lewis, Judith Schneid, In the Family Way: Childbearing in the British Aristocracy, 1760-1860, Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 1986, ISBN: 0-8135-1116-X. (Book on general medicine, intended to educate lay persons as well as medical practitioners. During the time covered by her diary she assisted at 814 deliveries (of nearly 1000 during her lifetime), at times crossing frozen rivers or wading through hip-deep snowdrifts to get to her patients.

) Caton, Donald, What a Blessing She Had Chloroform: The Medical Response to the Pain of Childbirth from 1800 to the Present, Yale University Press, 1999, ISBN: 0300075979.
) Death, and Motherhood in Classical Greece, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London, 1994, ISBN: 0-8018-4762-1. (A study of the reproductive experiences of fifty ladies, including information from their letters and journals. Martha Ballard delivered babies, grew and dispensed medicinal herbs, viewed autopsies and prepared bodies for burial, in addition to being a wife, mother and grandmother.
Saunders Company, Philadelphia and London, 1964. But also has a lot of obscure medical history some many of us would rather not know, perhaps. Much of it is universal, but please note it is a translation from the French and draws largely on examples within France. ) Birth viewed as a natural event, trust in God and nature Birth was women’s province but… Conflict between ancient practices and the church Associations of midwifery with witchcraft Old superstitions gradually being Christianized Labor pain: women’s punishment for Eve’s sins Could be elected, the most trusted woman of her village Often the daughter of a midwife A very few received training from male doctors In some areas might be licensed through the local bishop Usually carried low case loads Unlikely to transmit puerperal fever Unlikely to experience many problematic births Worked as a public service, rewarded with gifts Later became paid for their work Influential in their communities Wrote treatises instructing midwives Dealt with emergencies: “When a man comes, one or both must die” Herbs and amulets continued to be used, as time went on, also “birthing bags” with prayers and religious amulets Appeals to the Virgin Mary and St Margaret, other saints Husband goes “nidgeting”, calls midwife and “gossips”: female relatives and friends who will support the laboring woman Lying-in chamber/house prepared: keyholes stopped up, windows closed, curtains drawn, Dark, warm atmosphere to ward off chills (and protect from evil spirits) Caudle: warmed spiced wine or ale Birth positions varied adult paint pro shop regionally, also might use a birthing chair Often before hearth for warmth, her first cum swallow straw on the floor to absorb fluids Not in bed (think about the mess) Husband might help in case of emergency; his strength might be needed Midwife might “work” the woman’s private parts to speed dilation, use massage to aid delivery, sometimes pulled cord to deliver afterbirth Child swaddled, protected from evil influences until baptism Breastfeeding might begin; upper class women might use wet-nurses Upper class women might foster babies out to wet-nurses “Lying-in”: recovery period of up to a month Some of “gossips” might stay to help with housework, other children Amongst wealthy, elaborate rituals of visiting, celebration, presents Lying-in period followed by “churching” of the mother Slow labors sped by herbs, emetics, ergot of rye Some midwives had methods of “version” to turn a badly positioned baby Craniotomy using crotchet to save mother’s life Caesarean section known but rarely performed, usually to deliver child if mother had Forceps invented in early 17th century, family secret of the Chamberlens Banks, Amanda Carson, Birth Chairs, Midwives and Medicine, University Press of Mississippi, Jackson, 1999, ISBN: 1578061717, 1578061725.

(Similar in coverage to the Wertz book, described below. It’s heavy reading, and the author seems to accept writings of male physicians ridiculing midwives without considering the writers’ motives.

Includes interesting details on both social and medical aspects, including diet, medicines and practices used. This translator believes there were three authors involved in three texts which were later combined. (Not, as it might appear, a history of female midwives.

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) Dewhurst, Jack, Royal Confinements, Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1980, (Describes confinements of British royalty from the market mortgage reversebirth injury Stewarts to Victoria and Albert.
) Ulrich, Laurel Thatcher, A Midwife’s Tale: The Life of largest planet in solar system Martha Ballard, Based on her Diary, 1785-1812, Knopf, New York, 1990, ISBN: 0394568443.

There are even recipes for feigning virginity.

A mix of common sense (such as advising women to put their babies to breast early) and typical eighteenth century medical practices, such as bloodletting. Strahan, 1772), ISBN: 082405931X (alk. (Detailed and respectful study of the “unwritten” history of childbirth: folklore, traditional practices, “old wives’ tales”. (Detailed and respectful study of the “unwritten” history of childbirth: folklore, traditional practices, “old wives’ tales”. Includes interesting details on both social and medical aspects, including diet, medicines and practices used.
) Activity and Dress During Pregnancy Throughout much of history, women continued usual activity, adapted existing dress styles—first Physicians usually advocated exercise, but women who miscarried might be blamed for having “Bandages” or leather support girdles were sometimes worn to support abdomen Regency period: a maternity corset existed, though physicians advised against tight-lacing and high-waisted dresses were well-suited to pregnancy Victorian period: ladies often wore corsets half way through pregnancy, so they could hide their condition and continue normal activity Prohibited at times by religion, however… Medieval “sex manuals” sanctioned by the Church show recommended positions during pregnancy—the intent was to keep husbands from cheating Later some physicians warned against sex early or late in the pregnancy, or excessive sex at any time as being dangerous to the baby In a study of Regency and Victorian aristocratic women, some women thought they were pregnant for 10-14 months—must have conceived while they thought themselves pregnant Throughout most of history, vast majority of births were at home Lying-in hospitals or wards that existed were for charity and study Earliest hospitals on European continent 1739 – first lying-in hospital in England Puerperal fever becomes a severe problem Some 18th century physicians advocate cleanliness, are scoffed at Simple sanitary measures were not always sufficient Early 19th century experiments with heat and chemical disinfection Fever in hospitals increased view of childbirth as catastrophic event Medical community resisted concept of contagion from birth attendants Respectable women did not give birth in a hospital (modesty, class consciousness, 19th century sees rise in lying-in hospitals in all countries (still for poor) 1880’s: aseptic/antiseptic methods developed and begin to be used Aggressive use of methods on all patients in hospitals Hospital birth becomes common in 1920’s and 1930’s with “Twilight Sleep” Sources (on clothing, for other topics see sources listed above) Baumgarten, Linda, What Clothes Reveal: The Language of Clothing in Colonial and Federal America, Colonial Williamsburg Foundation in association with Yale University Press, Williamsburg, Va. parenting Terminology of childbirth changing to increased euphemism: “breeding” becomes “in the family way”, “lying-in” becomes “confinement” Continued transition from traditional birth ritual to “scientific” childbirth Gentlemanly accoucheur now like the midwife: less invasive, more Up until 1817, forceps less likely to be used than earlier in the 18th century After mature lesbian and young woman 1817, return to more aggressive measures in difficult births Many births, especially among lower classes, still managed the traditional way audreys fine baked goods Transition of control of birth from midwife to male practitioner faster in Banks, Amanda Carson, Birth Chairs, Midwives and Medicine, University Press of Mississippi, Jackson, 1999, ISBN: 1578061717, 1578061725 (pbk). The author hoped this would encourage society and the obstetric community to consider adopting some of these more natural practices, but the general response was that civilized women, especially those of the upper classes, were too delicate due to overindulgence, inactivity and corseting, to be able to give birth as “savages” did, and therefore in especial need of the services of modern obstetrics: to be delivered lying down, anesthetized and with the aid of instruments.