6.
“My great-grandmother was a famous Appalachian midwife. She delivered over 2,000 babies in her home throughout her career. These were very poor women who could not afford a hospital, nor did they think a hospital was necessary. Tough women. During the last week or so of pregnancy, the expectant mother would move in with my great-grandmother. She stayed in the birthing room. This was because getting a ride to her house was tough. Abject poverty, people didn’t own cars, and had to rely on others. So the women stayed with my relative to be ready when the time came.”
“I was present for a few births. I didn’t help out, I was only ten or so, but I heard and saw things. Once a woman went into labor, my Granny would have her do chores around the house. Sweeping, work on the farm, things like that. Apparently, it hastened labor. During the actual birth, Granny would rub a lotion on the woman’s vulva to help with the process, making it less likely the woman would tear. There was some screaming, but not a lot. Most of the women were fairly silent. Like I said, tough as nails.
My great-grandmother was featured in both People and National Geographic. She got a lot of recognition for her work.”
