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The Weirdest Cry For Help Imaginable: Vagitus Uterinus
A baby’s first cry has always been a symbol of celebration and an assurance of good health, there’s a word for it: vagitus. Some babies may take a bit longer than others to start crying after birth but what about those who can’t even wait to get out of the uterus to start crying? This…
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What Did Jane Austen Think About Motherhood | Pt 2.3
In part one of this series, I covered the births of Jane Austen and her seven siblings, and the childcare strategies of her parents in 18th century England. Across the five chapters of part two, I will show that Jane’s attitudes about marriage were shaped– not by her desire to become a published author– but…
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Can Babies Breathe and Swallow at the Same Time? | Rabbit Holes #Shorts
The theory that babies can breathe and swallow at the same time dates back to the 19th century but is starting to trend again according to a Contemporary Pediatrics article published last week. “The idea that babies can breathe and swallow at the same time joins a very long list of incorrect/dangerous notions developed, often…
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Afghan Midwife Under the Taliban |Rabbit Holes
Nooria Hayar, a twenty-nine-year-old midwife at a public clinic in Ishkamish, Takhar Province, Afghanistan recently talked to BBC about the changes brought by the Taliban takeover. During their previous rule over the country, girls and women were not allowed to be educated or have jobs, or have access to healthcare– the average life expectancy for…
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Instructions for Self-Management During Pregnancy | Sir Richard Croft | Primary Source Read Along
This primary source read-along is from a chapter in Mrs Thomas Little’s Domestic Institutes of Young Mothers, specifically the third edition published in 1824. The chapter is the advice for self-care during pregnancy from Mrs Little’s friend, the late Sir Richard Croft, 6th Baronet, a royal physician and an accoucheur (man-midwife). Sir Croft attended Princess…
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Modern Day Child Sacrifice in Uganda | Rabbit Holes #Shorts
I stumbled upon a LADbibleTV YouTube interview featuring “Annie” who claimed to be the driving force fighting against child sacrifice in Uganda. The interview was suspicious because it was all about her and not promoting the cause, and the comment section reflected the warped priorities: when viewers leave a discussion of child murder feeling more…
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Mali’s Nonuplets | Rabbit Holes #Shorts
It’s time for Rabbit Holes Shorts! Nonuplets! Hamila Case, a twenty-six-year-old mother from Mali, gave birth in May to nine babies. She was transferred to the Casablanca Ain Borja Clinic in Morocco at 25 weeks gestation and delivered at 30 weeks with the support of a medical team headed by Dr Youseff Alaoui. Her husband…
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What Did Jane Austen Think About Childbirth? | Pt 2.2
In part one of this series, I covered the reproductive history and childcare strategies of Jane Austen’s parents. Across the five chapters of part two, I will show that Jane’s attitudes about marriage were shaped– not by her desire to become a published author– but by her observations of motherhood, particularly the annual rounds of…
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Norman Barwin: Canada’s Sperm Swapping Fertility Doctor | Rabbit Holes #Shorts
A #short Rabbit Hole! Canada’s former “baby god” was busted for using his own sperm in fertility treatments. Norman Barwin, a former fertility specialist from Ottawa, so highly lauded as to be awarded the Order of Canada, fathered over twelve children using his own sperm instead of the sperm of the parents. Parents grew suspicious…
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Hungarian Bronze Age Twins |Rabbit Holes #Shorts
Today, we’re learning about a bronze age twin pregnancy from the Vatya culture in central Hungary, which dates to 2200-1450 BCE (the early and middle Hungarian bronze age). In the Vatya culture, human remains were cremated and then interred in urns alongside simple grave goods. At urnfield cemetery, gravesite 241 stood out to researchers because…
The Baby Historian 