Childbirth was very different in the old days when doctors were not available
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BIRTH
by
Maude Dreisbach
Editorial Dept.
(WPA Alabama Federal Writer’s Project)
Written in 1930s
In some isolated sections of Alabama, where the nearest doctor lives from ten to twenty miles away, child-birth presents an appalling situation.
The expectant mother is encouraged to do all sorts of hard labor; told that it is beneficial. She toils at home and in the fields until her hour has arrived. While her life and that of her unborn child hangs in the balance, a member of the family is dispatched for the “Mid-wife,” who, in most cases, is an ignorant old woman. These women know little to relieve the patient’s suffering and to insure her life and that of her child. They “let ol’ natur’ take her cou’se.” Only the strong survive.
When the woman dies of neglect during childbirth, the Mid-wife attributes the death of her patient to any one superstitious reason. When a bird flew in through the window earlier in the year, no one had thought to stick a sharp knife into the door jamb and leave it there a week; when screech-owls hooted in the forest near the house, no poker had been placed in the fire and heated red hot; and some careless person may have swept under the sick woman’s bed – either of these things would surely have caused her death.
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The Mid-wife is paid in corn meal and molasses. If the baby is a boy and mother and child happen to live, she is an important personage who is given a piece of side meat and a jar of honey. After the second or third day, the patient is up at four in the morning with the rest of the family, resuming her household duties. Excuses are made for her not working in the field: she must look after the new baby.
Consultants:
Mrs. Joan Morrow, Plantersville, Ala. (She has lived in homes where Mid-wives were the only doctors)
Vinegar of the Four Thieves: Recipes & Curious Tips from the Past
This book is a compilation of some of the funny and helpful tips from our past history. Some recipes and tips date back to 1770s. One or two sound a little dangerous and I would never try them myself, but I’ve included then in this book for their humorous and historical value. A few are useful, especially for our ‘green’ society today
Vinegar of the Four Thieves: Recipes & Curious Tips from the Past
