Whaling and wailing: Childbirth at sea on nineteenth-century whaling voyages

Olivia L Thomas
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Abstract

Nineteenth century whaling voyages commonly lasted several years, as the vessels and crews would not return to their home port until the holds were full of whale oil. Sailors with wives and families at home would be separated from their loved ones until their job at sea was done. This extended separation led many whaling wives to join their husbands on board. On the musty, cramped ships that would be their homes for several years, some whaling wives brought their children along, some were pregnant when they boarded and some conceived at sea. Ideally, a pregnant whaling wife would be put ashore in the later stages of her pregnancy to avoid giving birth on board the dirty, pitching, male-dominated whaling ship, but such relief was not always possible. Nineteenth century childbirth was shifting from female-dominated midwifery to male-dominated medical obstetrics. This change was marked by new training in midwifery, the invention of new obstetric equipment, and sometimes, more positive obstetric outcomes. Even on land, at the best of times, childbirth was still a potentially dangerous and devastating experience. This paper compares typical childbirth conditions, strategies and outcomes of the nineteenth century with those faced by whaling wives at sea.
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捕鲸和哀嚎:19世纪捕鲸航行中的海上分娩
19世纪的捕鲸航行通常要持续数年,因为船只和船员在船舱装满鲸油之前不会返回母港。有妻子和家人在家的水手将与他们的亲人分开,直到他们在海上的工作完成。这种长时间的分离使得许多捕鲸的妻子和她们的丈夫一起上船。在这些发霉的、狭窄的船上,他们住了好几年,有些捕鲸的妻子带着孩子,有些上船时就怀孕了,有些在海上怀孕了。理想情况下,怀孕的捕鲸妻子会在怀孕后期被送到岸上,以避免在肮脏、颠簸、男性主导的捕鲸船上生产,但这种缓解并不总是可能的。19世纪,分娩从女性主导的助产学转变为男性主导的产科医学。这一变化的标志是新的助产培训,新的产科设备的发明,有时,更积极的产科结果。即使在陆地上,在最好的情况下,分娩仍然是一种潜在的危险和毁灭性的经历。本文将十九世纪的典型分娩条件、策略和结果与海上捕鲸妻子所面临的情况进行了比较。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
0.40
自引率
33.30%
发文量
53
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