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In the Family Way: Childbearing in the British Aristocracy, 1760-1860
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328 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 1, 2015
This is one of the best books I've ever read on this era. It's about far more than childbirth, and delves into the changing role of marriage during this time (from one of duty to family to a more emotional union), as well as the changing role of extended family.
It's for this reason that I think every Jane Austen fan should read at least the first few chapters of this book, something I've detailed in a more extensive review of this book at my blog: http://sophie-turner-acl.blogspot.com...
To briefly summarize for those who don't want to go there:
Lewis studied 50 aristocratic women, researching their records and letters, so that she was able to draw both quantitative numbers (for example, the women studied had a mean of 7.5 children) and qualitative examples for the topics she covered. And in addition to the changing role of marriage, she touches on the changing: influence of extended family; role of children within the family; perception and importance of childbirth itself (and the rituals involved); and approach to prenatal care, birth, and obstetrics (as well as the rise of the role of accoucheur).
It's for this reason that I think every Jane Austen fan should read at least the first few chapters of this book, something I've detailed in a more extensive review of this book at my blog: http://sophie-turner-acl.blogspot.com...
To briefly summarize for those who don't want to go there:
Lewis studied 50 aristocratic women, researching their records and letters, so that she was able to draw both quantitative numbers (for example, the women studied had a mean of 7.5 children) and qualitative examples for the topics she covered. And in addition to the changing role of marriage, she touches on the changing: influence of extended family; role of children within the family; perception and importance of childbirth itself (and the rituals involved); and approach to prenatal care, birth, and obstetrics (as well as the rise of the role of accoucheur).
July 28, 2011
I loved this book. The author has chosen fifty aristocratic women who experienced the pains and joys of pregnancy and childbirth and using their surviving letters and diaries, as well as those of their doctors, attempts to answer key questions about the process of childbirth throughout the period 1760-1860.
Topics she discusses include the cult of domesticity, the rise of marriage for romantic love and the increased professionalism of medical practitioners and their effects on the theory and practice of childbirth. Judith Lewis also describes what pregnancy, the birth itself and the aftercare was like at this time.
I have to say that I was not aware that husbands were often found at their wife's bedsides (although I guess it does make more sense when you think of the increasing number of male doctors specialising in this area). And I was surprised by how few of her examples died as a result of childbirth. She also views the increasing male involvement as birthing specialists in a more positive light than is often found in other works.
Overall, a fascinating read.
Topics she discusses include the cult of domesticity, the rise of marriage for romantic love and the increased professionalism of medical practitioners and their effects on the theory and practice of childbirth. Judith Lewis also describes what pregnancy, the birth itself and the aftercare was like at this time.
I have to say that I was not aware that husbands were often found at their wife's bedsides (although I guess it does make more sense when you think of the increasing number of male doctors specialising in this area). And I was surprised by how few of her examples died as a result of childbirth. She also views the increasing male involvement as birthing specialists in a more positive light than is often found in other works.
Overall, a fascinating read.
October 15, 2024
It's a pity this book is so hard to find. Not only is it out of print, but used copies are somewhat expensive. (I used interlibrary loan to get it.) But if you CAN get a copy, it's worth the extra trouble, because this is one of the best books I've read about love, marriage, and childbirth in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
Though I borrowed IN THE FAMILY WAY because I wanted information about Regency-era childbirth, the first two or three chapters of the book aren't even about pregnancy or childbirth. They are about domesticity, love, and marriage. In this section, I learned details about the past that I haven't seen anywhere else. For example, did you know that the average dowry a bride brought into an aristocratic marriage was 25K pounds? I certainly did not! That kind of specific detail is really useful for writers of historical fiction or historical romance.
As for the chapters on pregnancy, childbirth, and recovery, they are full of details about how pregnant women did or did not restrict their activity; what diet they ate; what the birthing chamber was like, etc. Best of all, there are many direct quotations from letters and diaries that give some idea of what the upper-class people of the time really thought about having a dozen children, or having a girl when a male heir was needed, etc.
Rather than making sweeping generalizations about the time periods involved, Lewis tends to trace the uneven processes by which people's thinking and behavior gradually changed from the traditional ways of doing things to newer patterns. I found her discussion of "marrying for love" versus "arranged marriages" to be a particularly good example of this. I don't always agree with Lewis's claims, but I always found her interpretations insightful.
My only complaint is that I wish there were an updated version of the book. A book published in the 1980s doesn't reflect current historical or medical thinking. But it is very much still worth reading for anyone interested in the eighteenth century, the Georgian period, or the early Victorian period.
Though I borrowed IN THE FAMILY WAY because I wanted information about Regency-era childbirth, the first two or three chapters of the book aren't even about pregnancy or childbirth. They are about domesticity, love, and marriage. In this section, I learned details about the past that I haven't seen anywhere else. For example, did you know that the average dowry a bride brought into an aristocratic marriage was 25K pounds? I certainly did not! That kind of specific detail is really useful for writers of historical fiction or historical romance.
As for the chapters on pregnancy, childbirth, and recovery, they are full of details about how pregnant women did or did not restrict their activity; what diet they ate; what the birthing chamber was like, etc. Best of all, there are many direct quotations from letters and diaries that give some idea of what the upper-class people of the time really thought about having a dozen children, or having a girl when a male heir was needed, etc.
Rather than making sweeping generalizations about the time periods involved, Lewis tends to trace the uneven processes by which people's thinking and behavior gradually changed from the traditional ways of doing things to newer patterns. I found her discussion of "marrying for love" versus "arranged marriages" to be a particularly good example of this. I don't always agree with Lewis's claims, but I always found her interpretations insightful.
My only complaint is that I wish there were an updated version of the book. A book published in the 1980s doesn't reflect current historical or medical thinking. But it is very much still worth reading for anyone interested in the eighteenth century, the Georgian period, or the early Victorian period.
July 23, 2016
A thoroughly well researched book that dispels some myths and misconceptions (no pun intended) about the experience of childbirth for aristocratic women in the period 1760-1860. Although a serious academic study, it is very readable. I found it very interesting on attitudes to marriage and the ascent of the accoucheur over the midwife. Would highly recommend it as a valuable source of information for historical novel writers dealing with this period.
December 9, 2023
Informative, but old. Good bibliography for primary sources, as she used the letters and diaries of 50 aristocratic women plus the other writings, including texts, from accoucheurs. Stronger for the 19th century than the 18th century. Written in response to Lawrence Stone and Randolph Trumbach, so it has a specific place in the historiography of social history.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews