logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2022
53 m

A History of Childbirth

Lindsay Holiday
About this episode

Throughout history one thing has had more impact on women’s lives than almost anything else - giving birth to children. In this episode we will explore various aspects of this paramount and awe-inspiring process and how it has changed across cultures and through time. From how we think about conception and fertility to some rather kooky pregnancy tests; from the day to day realities of pregnancy and how pregnant women were seen by their communities to the changing medical practices surrounding that most amazing dangerous moment in women’s lives, childbirth. 

Join me every Tuesday when I'm Spilling the Tea on History!

Check out my Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/lindsayholiday

Please consider supporting me at https://www.patreon.com/LindsayHoliday and help me make more fascinating videos!

Intro Music: Baroque Coffee House by Doug Maxwell

Music: Dream of the Ancestors by Asher Fulero 

#womenshistory #Historyofchildbirth #HistoryTeaTime #LindsayHoliday

Please contact advertising@airwavemedia.com if you would like to advertise on this podcast.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Up next
Yesterday
Chinese Concubines who became Empresses
For thousands of years, Emperors of China had harems of dozens or even hundreds of wives. Emperors had the right to select concubines from among the teenage daughters of the nobility or the peasantry. During the Ming dynasty 5,000 beautiful woman were brought from around the coun ... Show More
31m 41s
Aug 19
Princess Margaret - Queen Elizabeth II’s Infamous Sister
Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon was a bright rose, who bloomed even in the shadow of her older sister, Queen Elizabeth II. She was a fashion icon and the life of many parties. She had a scandalous romance her sovereign sibling could never sanction, and a disastrous marriag ... Show More
32m 13s
Aug 12
A History of Alcohol
I’m at Ye Olde Mitre, one of the oldest pubs in London with a cold pint of Ale. And I can think of no better place to discuss the history of alcohol. Intoxicating beverages has been a part of human culture from the beginning. Alcohol flows through our social, ritual, religious, e ... Show More
33m 21s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2023
Victorian Pregnancy & Childbirth: The Untold History
Why did Victorian doctors recommend women to lie still in solitary confinement for days after giving birth? What was the 'sit up and cough' method of contraception? (not the most reliable) And what was the level of infant mortality in the 19th century? Today Kate is Betwixt the S ... Show More
42m 14s
Jun 2022
191. Childbirth
In today's episode, Tom and Dominic talk to Sara Read about the history of childbirth. Sara unveils the origin of the word 'gossip' and its connection to midwifery. As well as this, they discuss how someone would qualify as a midwife; the relationship between religion and childbi ... Show More
49m 1s
Jul 2023
Victorian Abortion & Birth Control
We’re connected to the past in more ways than you might think.  For example, the 1861 Offences against the person Act is an abortion law that is still largely in place today. What does this Victorian law dictate? How does it still effect our lives today? And who were the brave pi ... Show More
43m 14s
Dec 2021
The truth about the pill
Let's all take a moment to thank Margaret Sanger and all those who advocated for women's reproductive rights. In this episode of Thick & Thin, we travel back to the 1900s' to learn the history of a popular birth control method, otherwise known as — the pill. // Follow me on IG: i ... Show More
37m 48s
Dec 2022
Sex Myths
Why were the ovaries once seen as inverted testes? What words might you use if you were trying to describe a condition 'down there' to your doctor? And why did people once believe that you couldn't conceive a baby whilst standing up? In this episode of Betwixt the Sheets, we're c ... Show More
48m 51s
Mar 2023
The History of Periods
‘It’s my time of the month’, ‘the painters are in’, ‘aunt flo is visiting’, or a simple ‘I’m on the rag’ Periods are a fact of life for so many people. So how have they been understood? How have they been talked about and concealed? And why have periods stopped so many people fro ... Show More
38m 23s
Nov 2023
La grossesse
Cette fois, ça y est : le test est positif. Déjà les premiers symptômes le laissait présager : nausées, fatigue, mal aux seins, mais cette fois, une analyse biologique vient de le confirmer, si tout se passe bien dans une trentaine de semaines, un petit bébé va naître. Scène de l ... Show More
35m 18s
Jul 2018
077 From Childbirth to Adolescence
In this episode, we discuss what it was was like in ancient Athens for a young girl or boy from birth to adolescence, by looking at childbirth, childhood, the various rites of passages that they must surpass on the way to becoming teenagers, the paideia education system (both Old ... Show More
1h 20m
May 2022
Abortion in the Ancient World (With Princess O'Nika Auguste)
Not only was abortion broadly legal in ancient Greece and Rome, but some of the methods used were surprisingly similar to today. And the Bible doesn’t mention it at all—except in one obscure passage, where it tells you how to administer one. In this episode, we’re joined by femin ... Show More
46m 21s
Oct 2021
Repeating history in relationships
We all want to know what it's like to feel worthy and chosen in love. In this episode of Thick & Thin, I reveal my true birthday wish and ponder over my past relationships to discover a repeating pattern. // Follow me on IG: instagram.com/katybellotte // Sources: https://www.medi ... Show More
45m 4s