I have been one of those fortunate individuals who, during pregnancy,
have very good health. My greatest suffering was caused by varicose
veins, which, of course, are very painful at such times.
I was blessed with a good mother, who gave me good advice on the
necessity of taking care of myself during this period, and having also
the best of attention at confinement, and plenty of rest and good food,
neither of these being lacking. I can only imagine a woman’s feelings
under different conditions.
My confinements (five) were, however, hard, bad times, brought about by
some obstruction. This I have always put down to the fact that at the
age of thirteen I began to learn dressmaking, which entailed sitting
long hours at a stretch, at a time when the bones were in rather a soft
state. A midwife whom I had engaged as nurse during my last confinement
quite agreed that this was most likely. I could not say whether this is
common among dressmakers or not.
After confinement always seemed to me to be one’s weak time, and
especially with nursing mothers with fine, healthy babies. I nursed
four, the last being still-born, and always found that about three
months after their birth my strength failed, and doctor’s advice had to
be sought, when with tonics he managed to bring me right.
You see my experience will not be of much use to you, but this is
exactly how I have felt during these times; in fact, during pregnancy
it was much harder for me to be still than to work hard physical work.
_Wages just under £2; four children, one still-born._