HEALTH IN HISTORY
Midwives Provided Primary Care for Colonial Women During Childbirth Written By Brandy Centolanza
W
omen living in Virginia during Colonial times suffered from the same basic conditions that afflict females today. “Most of the common medical issues of women were directly associated with menstruation and [the reproductive organs],” says Sharon Cotner, an interpreter and medical historian at the Pasteur & Galt Apothecary in Colonial Williamsburg. One of Cotner’s areas of expertise is the health care issues of Colonial women. Though the term pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) was not used, women of that time often experienced many of the symptoms now associated with the condition, notes Cotner. Breast swelling, headaches, nausea, cramps, backaches, and exhaustion posed problems for menstruating women. Irregular menstrual cycles, yeast infections, anemia, and issues associated with menopause were also concerns. Breast cancer was a problem for some women, more commonly after menopause. “Sterility was a concern, [as well as] diseases of the womb including abscesses, ulcers and tumors,” Cotner adds. However, most women had normal pregnancies, by 18th-century standards, and most mothers and children survived deliveries. On average, enslaved women gave birth to six to seven children, while free Virginia women had about 10 pregnancies, though typically only six to eight live births. Women realized they were expecting a baby once their menstrual cycle ceased and they experienced physical changes in the shape of their bodies as well as movement of the fetus. Prenatal advice included watching their diets, limiting physical activity and emotional stress, and avoiding certain types of clothing, such as high heels or clothes that were too tight. “Most births were handled by midwives,” says Robin Kipps, supervisor at Pasteur & Galt Apothecary. “Some women who had com-
GAIN ACCESS WITH THE CITY OF HAMPTON’S
WHEELCHAIR RAMP GRANT PROGRAM Hampton Redevelopment and Housing Authority offers a grant for non-ambulatory residents of Hampton that are in need of a wheelchair ramp. This grant covers the cost of materials to build the ramp on the recipient’s primary residence. *These programs require that you qualify based on income.
Call 757-727-1111, ext. 314 or email salvarado@hrha.org for more details. The Hampton Redevelopment and Housing Authority does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, familial status, or handicap. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this policy, please contact the HRHA Equal Opportunity Officer at 757-727-6337.
12
THE HEALTH JOURNAL
JUNE 2009
plications were delivered by man-midwives. Some women [also] asked man-midwives to handle normal deliveries as the extra training that man-midwives received in private schools inspired confidence.” Though some midwives trained privately, most gained experience by attending deliveries or assisting other midwives. Midwives had to have a basic understanding of anatomy, know how to deliver the placenta, and be able to recognize potential problems. If a serious problem occurred, they were expected to call doctors. Man-midwives were instructed in the practice of “touching,” Man-midwives were which meant inserting a finger instructed in the into a woman’s birth canal to determine how far labor had propractice of “touching” gressed, what part of the infant had presented, and if the memto determine how far branes had broken. Touching labor had progressed. was an important part of training because it allowed for the manmidwife to follow the progress of the delivery. Students learned to turn the baby and deliver it by the feet, and to use forceps. They also learned about cesarean sections, delivering twins, hemorrhaging, and difficult presentations. “The care that a woman obtained after delivery was largely affected by her circumstances,” explains Kipps. “Period texts proposed that the patient should stay in bed and rest for several weeks. The question is, how often could a patient afford to have someone else run her household and care for her other children while she recuperated? There are case histories of very poor women who did not have this opportunity.” HJ