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Throughout the novel, Martha is frequently called to deliver babies from women of all walks of life. Have you or anyone you know delivered a child with the assistance of a midwife? Which laboring mother did you feel most connected to?
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My heart went out to Rebecca in this story. Not because I had a situation similar to hers but because of the violent tragedy causing her pregnancy. To add insult to injury she had to testify in a public court presided over by a judge who just happened to be one of the men who brutally raped her. What were the odds that she would be heard and taken seriously in this prejudiced court? I so admire her courage and strength to stand there baring her soul and all the humiliating details of what was done to her. Reliving those horrid details once again. All the time knowing she may never get the retribution she so well deserves.
For nine months Rebecca lived with the daily reminder of what was done to her as her body changed and the life inside her grew. How do you emotionally heal under these circumstances? How do you reconcile with yourself your feelings for the life that is growing inside you? There will be no joy for Rebecca after enduring the hours of painful labor and delivery when she holds her baby daughter. I think Martha’s presence during the delivery was crucial to Rebecca’s survival of labor. And, when Rebecca told Martha to throw the baby in the river I saw how cold Rebecca’s heart had turned and wondered if she would ever be able to heal and be a kind and loving person once again. I so wished I could transport Rebecca to Three Pines where she could heal in an environment of love, compassion, and kindness. An environment where she would be validated as a valuable female.
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Libby, I think that some healing began when she cried at Ephraim’s “box of justice” which she threw into the fire. Granted, it would take more than that, but it was a start.
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I’m with you, Libby. I empathized with Rebecca the most just given what she has to endure and the psychological torment she went through. Her breech birth was the most intense of all the mothers. By the end of the novel, I hoped she was healing. And I think you’re right, Nancy, some healing began with the “box of justice”.
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I agree with you Nancy. It provided some sense of vengeance if that’s the right word. I just feel North should have been held accountable publicly in her rape. I think it would have helped her move forward even more. My heart just aches for her.
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Libby, your insights into human nature are spot on here with Rebecca. That she would benefit from an environment where she is validated as a valuable female. There is a message of worthlessness, a dehumanization with those targeted acts of violence and hostility, which is amplified when society sides with the aggressor. I also felt an understanding for Rebecca. I know and love a Rebecca, but she does not love herself because of the messages she has received as a child, wife and mother. Unfortunately, the cycle of violence and aggression sometimes do not end with a single act and this is why I think there can be generational trauma. And attitudes that are passed down that are similar in nature, but may take on other forms of aggression or violence. Why 1789 was so long ago, but is still very relevant today in so many ways that are disappointing.
These stories of childbirth, and all the points that everyone has so eloquently made, underline our ongoing struggle between those who seek power and those who seek basic human rights.
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We all have different thoughts, beliefs, wants and needs. The difficulty and the inequality comes down to respect and tolerance for the differences between us all. While many of us are happy with just trying to live our best lives, others feel entitled to enforce their ideas and their demands on others.
This entitlement and demand to have power over another person is obvious with rape, but I believe the attitude can be attributed to so many other instances where we see injustice.
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The answer for me is “Yes.” Both of my daughters were delivered with the assistance of nurse midwives. Full disclosure, my older daughter needed a slight nudge from the backup physician to finish the job but my younger daughter was born in a free standing birth center that looked for all practical purposes like someone’s home. We did not exactly have a group of women but my older daughter’s “coach” was there and my husband cooked breakfast before we headed home a few hours later.
It was a physician colleague of my husband who recommended our first midwifery practice. Nurse midwives regard themselves as companions and guides to the pregnant woman and family. I never doubted their expertise or skill. Still they approached everything from the perspective of shared decision making, not an arbitrary set of procedures or practices done because they are convenient for the midwife or regarded simply as standard practice.
Based on these experiences, the laboring mother I most identify with is Betsy Clark (minus the husband’s desire that the child be male). But her labor and birth show what the experience is like with a sensitive, attentive and skilled attendant.
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That sounds like a lovely experience, with exception of the slight nudge as you put it. I can imagine that was quite stressful, on top of the stress of giving birth, to have to deviate from the expected process. I especially love the little layer of love in your husband cooking breakfast for you. The birth of your second daughter sounds like it was a very pleasant situation, and filled with love and caring, which makes me so happy for you Jane.
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I do not know of anyone who has used a midwife. I felt most sorry for those women who were so awed by Dr. Page’s Harvard credentials that they lost their babies due to his incompetence. I was drawn to Martha feeling that the children she delivered were her own and to the injustice of Martha having to find out the father of an unwed mother’s baby so it could be reported to the court where the mother would be fined or committed to the jail yard. Men were not fined for their participation
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I was most invested in the outcome of Grace Sewell and her baby. I just felt so badly that Grace had people around her who didn’t know how to properly care for her or put her needs first. Mrs. Hendricks was too caught up in status and upward mobility to listen to Martha with all her experience. And Dr. Page was too caught up in his self-importance and belittling Martha. So when Page gave Grace the laudanum, I got so upset. I usually don’t have emotional reactions to fictional characters, but maybe it’s because the characters and the scene bring up attitudes that continue in the present day. Even today, women’s health concerns are too often ignored. There was a recent study pointing out that there is sadly a systemic gaslighting of women’s symptoms by the medical establishment. (Women are often told their symptoms are “all in their head” when it turns out the opposite is true.) It’s the prejudices that came up in Grace’s birth that were what struck me. And poor Grace. Sometimes when a person is sick, they don’t have the strength or courage to champion for themselves. I let out a cheer and sigh of relief when Martha took over and rescued Grace and the baby.
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I don’t personally know anybody who has used a midwife for a delivery; it still doesn’t seem to be a big trend in this area, from what I can tell. Obstetrics in general is a field that some of the doctors in the area have stepped away from, due to the high costs of liability insurance and the fear of getting sued over bad outcomes, and I think there’s a tendency for some patients to be concerned that a midwife won’t be able to cover emergencies adequately. And yet, the book shows the value of competent obstetric care, and the extra added value of midwifery enhancing the experience, in the proper hands and resources. I believe that all medical care is dependent not just on what diploma you can hang on your wall, but what human skills you bring to the job. Just because you haven’t gone to say, Harvard (like Dr. Page) doesn’t mean you’ve stagnated your own education and experiences. Martha was clearly more qualified than Dr. Page to handle this sort of thing, and I would have been running to her if I were in need of obstetric care.
I wasn’t feeling connected to any one particular laboring mother in the story, but I was sympathetic to all, and my heart, like Libby’s, really went out to Rebecca and her situation; so no-win for her and her baby. Maybe over time, they’ll have a chance to heal and bond, but I wouldn’t judge Rebecca harshly if she was never able to get there. The important thing will be if the child gets the love and security that she needs, from whomever will give that to her best.
And like Tara, I was appalled and angry when Dr. Page dosed Grace Sewell with laudanum. That resonated with me as a nurse; as a patient advocate. I wanted to stand at Grace’s bedside and block that idiot! Martha did her best, but she couldn’t stop the travesty. I wanted to stand with her and help her! -
I haven’t had any experience with midwifery. I think each laboring mother actually made me feel more connected to Martha. They each provided new perspectives on Martha’s compassion, her skills, and the complications that she encountered around birth – not just medical ones but the social ones from family members, doctors, and neighbors. But if I were to pick one of the expectant mothers, I liked Eliza Robbins, as brief as her appearance is. It wasn’t that her labor was overly dramatic or that she had much of an impact on the story. But I liked that she took charge of her own health, seemed quite independent, and told the men to “butt out” of her business when they got in her way. And I like that she got the truth about Dr. Page thanks to Grace Sewell and acted on it. I was pleased to see Eliza choose the safe option and use good judgement for herself.
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