Childbirth has long been a subject that defies easy historical investigation – elusive, painful, enveloped in modesty and mystery, and resistant to disclosure. This book outlines how childbirth was described and represented in the West from the Middle Ages through the early modern period to the seventeenth century, before the medicalisation of obstetrical practice and the emergence of clinics.

Drawing on a wide and varied body of sources – including medical, legal, religious, and literary texts – the author reconstructs the practices associated with women in labour. As the focal point of collective attention, the parturient was surrounded by other women – midwives, relatives, and neighbours – reflecting the strong female solidarity fostered by childbirth, while also being attended by men such as her husband, a priest, and, in later periods, a surgeon.

Adopting a broad diachronic perspective, the book highlights both elements of long-term continuity and the most significant changes in the early modern period. Beyond those concerned with the history of childbirth, midwifery and women, it will be relevant to readers engaged in the history of medicine, cultural anthropology and cultural history.

Contents

1 The Birth Scene

2 ‘She Must Be of Good and Honest Behaviour’: The Midwife

3 Giving Birth

4 Speeding Up Childbirth: Objects, Rituals, and Formulae

5 Difficult Births and Dramatic Episodes

6 The Long History of the Caesarean Section

7 The Wonders of the Womb

8 Female Concerns and Prophetic Signs: Pregnancy and the Birth of a Son

9 After Childbirth: Mother and Child

Source: https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781003631934/wonders-childbirth-alessandra-foscati