[sent to me by David daughtery] > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Linda Hendley +ADw-minnie-s10+AEA-worldnet.att.net+AD4- > To: +ADw-SOUTH-CENTRAL-KENTUCKY+AEA-rootsweb.com+AD4- > Sent: Tuesday, November 24, 1998 9:20 AM > Subject: Fw: +AFs-GenWisconsin-L+AF0- Midwifes of the 1800's > > > +AD4-Hi all here is something else i thought some of you may enjoy. It was sent > +AD4-from Wisconsin list. > +AD4- Linda in Cal > +AD4- > +AD4- > +AD4- > +AD4-Hello, > +AD4-I am not sure about when licensing began in Wisconsin, but > +AD4-the Midwifery goes back 7 generations in my family and I can tell > +AD4-you how it worked in the northern counties of the state throughout > +AD4-the 1800's. The women of my family who took up the profession > +AD4-were apprenticed to a working midwife while the young women > +AD4-were in their later teens. For several years they not only learned > +AD4-how to assist (the mother) in the delivery, but became highly > +AD4-skilled in what to do with premature, congested, breach born > +AD4-(backwards or sideways), among other deviations from the normal > +AD4-birth. They taught women how to use the +ACI-horn+ACI- to obtain breast > +AD4-milk when the baby was too early or too weak to nurse, and how to > +AD4-use an eyedropper and +ACI-throat stroke+ACI- to help the infant swallow > +AD4-drops of milk and not get it into the lungs. That was just for the > +AD4-newborn. At the same time, the midwife was knowledgeable and > +AD4-skilled at treating the new mother for many normal and abnormal > +AD4-conditions during pregnancy, labor, delivery, and postpartum. This > +AD4-also included collecting and properly preparing and dispensing of > +AD4-medications to both mother and child as necessary (white willow > +AD4-bark +AD0- aspirin for pain and prevent blood clots, fox glove leaf +AD0- > +AD4-digoxin to stimulate a weaken heart, rose hips +AD0- vitamin C to fight > +AD4-infection and help strength return, vinegar +AD0- acetic acid to clean > +AD4-and settle). One terrible mistake that often happened to women > +AD4-was that they tried to give birth in bed. The beds of the time were > +AD4-often suspended from the bedframe from intertwining ropes. These > +AD4-ropes were wound around wooden or metal pegs along the bedrails. > +AD4APg-From time to time these ropes had to be tightened, as they would > +AD4-stretch from the weight of the sleeping people. This created a > +AD4-sagging toward the center of the bed. Women in their latter months > +AD4-of pregnancy were often quite unable to tighten the ropes ( which > +AD4-took being able to stretch, bend in half and pull powerfully) and > +AD4-went into labor in a bed where the lower trunk of the body was at > +AD4-the bottom of a +ACI-V+ACI- shape, with head and feet higher up at each > +AD4-end. This position bent the birth canal and the baby's head could > +AD4-not make it through. These poor women were in labor for hours and > +AD4-sometimes days, often dying from exhaustion without giving birth. > +AD4-The first thing a midwife would do is get them onto the flat floor and > +AD4-physically assist with the weak contractions to move the birth > +AD4-along as > +AD4-rapidly as possible. > +AD4-Midwives were also one of the forerunners in realizing that > +AD4-getting and keeping things clean protected the mother and child > +AD4-from illness and infection. They often ended up washing bedding, > +AD4-clothes, baby swaddling, and whole cabins and families. They the > +AD4-would also be pressed to prepare a hot meal for the clan. > +AD4-Their work was not souly limited to people, as they were also > +AD4-trained experts in the care and birthing of all farm mammals (cows, > +AD4-goats, sheep, horses, oxen, mules, pigs, etc.). The livelihood and > +AD4-future of many a farm family was extended and improved by the > +AD4-help of a trained and diligent midwife who came to the aid of the > +AD4-precious, hard-earned livestock. > +AD4-The pay? Most often none at all. After going through several > +AD4-years of appreticeship, the young woman often married and was > +AD4-expected to set up her practice in her new community. Those who > +AD4-worked in the city sometimes collected a fee, but in rural areas, it > +AD4-was > +AD4-left up to the individual family and if times were good that meant > +AD4-extra > +AD4-food or grand for the midwife's family, when times were tough, that > +AD4-meant > +AD4-she helped a neighbor and felt good about it. These women also > +AD4-were > +AD4-pressed into service even when doctors were available since men > +AD4-were often > +AD4-not to view any part a woman's body, and doctors were almost > +AD4-certain to be > +AD4-male. The northern midwife also had to raise her own family, keep > +AD4-up with > +AD4-all her farm chores, do general community +ACI-nursing+ACI- during > +AD4-epidemics and > +AD4-other illness. Often she took the dying into her own home or went > +AD4-to the > +AD4AIg-deathbed+ACI- of neighbors to help +ACI-see them through+ACI-. Some of these > +AD4-women > +AD4-were hard and crusty, others were tough and resilient, still others > +AD4-were > +AD4-delicate and +ACI-ladylike+ACI-, in other words, they came in all sizes, > +AD4-shapes > +AD4-and types. However, each one shared the deep personal > +AD4-commitment to > +AD4-others. Hope this helps, Rita > +AD4- > +AD4APg- Me too. My husband's ggrandmother is suppose to have > +AD4-received the first > +AD4APg- (Lic. +ACM-1) license issued in the state. She lived in Neillsville. > +AD4APg- > +AD4APg- Sara > +AD4APg- > +AD4APg- Sallia+AEA-aol.com wrote: > +AD4APg- +AD4- > +AD4APg- +AD4- I was wondering if anyone knows of how to go about finding > +AD4-information > +AD4APg- +AD4- on women who were midwife's in the 1880's in Wisconsin. I > +AD4-thought it > +AD4APg- +AD4- would be interesting to find out more about a Minnie Schneider > +AD4-(and > +AD4APg- +AD4- other women) who were midwife's at that time. > +AD4- > +AD4- > +AD4-