Motherhood in the Old South: Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Infant Rearing - Softcover

Sally G. McMillen (Author)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0807121665 ISBN 13: 9780807121665

Publisher: LSU Press, 1997

Synopsis

An account of the childbearing and rearing responsibilities which consumed, often literally, the lives of women in the old south. The author explores the social, political and medical influences of the time that led women to assume fervently the full responsibility for their sacred occupation.

About this title

Review:

McMillen's portrait of the physical and emotional strains of motherhood in this period should dispel any lingering notions about idle southern ladies. The richness of McMillen's research makes her book invaluable.--Drew Gilpin Faust

A fascinating look at medical practices and those who suffered them in the antebellum South.--Charlotte Observer

McMillen has produced perhaps the most intimate portrait yet of [middle- and upper-class southern wives], one that shows how the duty of reproduction undermined the class privileges enjoyed by these women.--North Carolina Historical Review

The wonderful blend of historical accuracy with personal anecdotes provides for enjoyable reading. All those interested in women's issues will find this book of value from both the historical and medical perspective.--Southern Quarterly

About the Author:

Sally G. McMillen, Mary Reynolds Babcock Professor of History at Davidson College in North Carolina, is also the author of To Raise Up the South: Sunday Schools in Black and White Churches, 1865-1915 and Southern Women: Black and White in the Old South.

About this edition

• Publisher: LSU Press
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0807121665
• ISBN 13: 9780807121665
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 250