A short history of the Dutch midwife and childbirth.

For many years midwives were un-trained women who obtained the required knowledge and experience in practice. Besides guiding and attending to childbirth they also took pregnant women in and arranged dry-nursing for infants. Because they gave guidance during childbirth midwives entered houses of all levels of society at any time of the day or night. This was in many cases in dark, badly lit and ventilated rooms, often in very unhygienic circumstances. That is why midwives also used to give advice on hygiene and general health. Another task they had was to enquire as to the name of the father in the case of the birth of an extra-marital child and report this to the authorities. Furthermore, she was expected to help in the teaching of student-midwives.

During childbirth the woman in labour was seated on a birth stool or on a mattress in a box-bed. Because a box-bed was closed on three sides there was only little space for bystanders. If this was a problem a number of chairs were put with their backs on the ground and the mattress placed on that. This was called a ‘shortbed’. In some cases the woman in labour would sit on the lap of another woman.

The place to give birth was determined by the financial position of the family. The poor gave birth in maternity hospitals, where the death rate was extremely high due to puerperal fever. This was a greatly feared complication until the end of the 19th century; only after improving hygiene and facilities did the death rate go down. In the upper classes it was customary to be confined at home. Sometimes women(a wet-nurse) would be taken into service in order to breast-feed the baby.

Midwives had two possibilities to exercise their professions; as an independent or employed by the authorities. They became members of the guild of surgeons and midwifery was therefore the most emancipated profession for women. The standard of proficiency of midwives in the Netherlands varied a lot. For instance, Groningen already had an Academy for midwives in the 17th century, whereas Amsterdam only opened the National Academy for midwives in September 1861. There, financed by the state,  students were trained to become a midwife in two years. In order to give the students practical experience, the school had a model confinement room from 1883 on, where more than a 100 births a year took place. At the end of the 19th century midwives associated in what later became the Royal Netherlands Organisation of Midwives (de Koninklijke Nederlandse Organisatie van Verloskundigen – KNOV), in order to concentrate on strengthening their position and their authority. Also the duration of the training was successfully lengthened and improved. The professional responsibility and authority of midwives have increased continuously since then.

Old Dutch customs:

Hansje-in-den-kelder (Johnny-in-the-cellar)

In the 17th century it was customary in the upper classes to announce a pregnancy with a ‘Hansje-in-den-Kelder’.
According to the ritual the parents (in-law) were invited and a Hanseatic goblet was put on the table. While everyone waited in silence a special cordial was poured into the goblet. When it was full a small floater in the shape of a baby bobbed up. Everyone called out ‘Hansje-in-den-kelder’!. Then the cordial was drunk from the goblet to a good pregnancy and confinement. While sipping the drink they sung: “Men drinkt, als ‘t komt te pas, kaneelwijn frisch en helder, geluk aan de echtgenoot met “Hansje in den Kelder” (When the occasion is there, one drinks fresh and clear cinamon wine to the happiness of the husband with ‘Johnny in the cellar’).
This custom disappeared around 1800. However, the cordial is still available in specialized shops. In the Amsterdam Historical Museum a Hanseatic goblet may be admired.

Kandeel

Kandeel is an alcoholic drink for visitors after the birth. This drink was made up by a mixture of wine, spices, sugar and egg yoke. The brand new father would put on a satin cap with a feather in it (the ‘new-father-cap’) while stirring the kandeel with a stick of cinamon. Then he would hand round the kandeel in special little kandeel bowls.

Beschuit met muisjes (Dutch rusks with aniseed comfits on top)

Ever since the 17th century visitors after the birth were treated to ‘beschuit met muisjes’ These ‘muisjes’ (aniseed comfits) were a symbol of fertility. Pink ones for a girl and white (later blue) ones for a boy. The aniseed in these ‘muisjes’ was supposed to stimulate lactation and to lay evil spirits.

A short history of Dutch midwifery

In ancient times, when not much was known about anatomy, the woman was stimulated to change her position in the event of a difficult confinement. In old books you can find descriptions of a birthing stool and of taking the pregnant woman on one’s lap. The greatest obstetrician in ancient times was Soranus of Ephesus (2nd century a.d.); he described the possibility of turning the unborn baby in the womb.  But the old obstetrical learning, meagre as it was, disappeared in the Middle Ages and the little that survived became adulterated by superstition. Even so, around 1500, Nufer performed the first caesarian section with a positive result (for mother and child) on his own wife. Thirteen years later a book on midwifery bij Eucharius and Roesslin was first published, in which the insights of Soranus were recorded.
Until 1700 practical midwifery was exclusively in the hands of women.

Chamberlen constructed the first birthing forceps, an instrument that, after many improvements, came to be in the possession of every doctor (1720). Van Deventer realised that there was a connection between the shape of the pelvis and the size of the child’s head and described various abnormalities of the pelvis. Even so, the death rate of mother and child in the 19th century remained high until Semmelweis made his important discovery in 1847. He discovered that it was essential to wash you hands before and after childbirth in order to avoid transmitting bacterial infections. Also anaesthesia was given after 1848. The development of knowledge of anatomy and physiology led to a continuously improving understanding of the birthing process and which factors were important therefore. Also operative obstetrics took off in the 20th century which led to caesarian sections having a low death rate. Furthermore the importance of prenatal care was realised, as various abnormalties or deficiencies during childbirth can be avoided by treatment during pregnancy.

Partially freely tanslated from the Winkler Prins

Old wives' tales:

These are superstitious stories about conception, pregnancy and childbirth (so not true!)

People used to think:

• If you tickle a baby’s footsoles, he/she will develop a stutter.
• The spot the mother touches during a meal is the place where the baby will have a birthmark or a mole later.
• Every time a women does not get her way during pregnancy the child will develop a birthmark.
• If one drinks a lot of coffee during pregnancy, the child will have red hair.
• Old wives’ tales from Surinam: Men must provide everything their pregnant wife feels like eating. If he does not do so, the child will have a strawberry mark.
• Looking at ugly things will make an ugly baby.
• In Turkey it is absolutely forbidden to eat peaches during pregnancy, as this would cause a hairy child because of the downy skin of the peach.
• In the Netherlands Antilles they say that if you don’t keep a promise to a pregnant woman you will get infected eyes.

By far away most old wives’ tales concern predicting the baby’s gender:

There are many more old wives' tales on the website www.babybrabbel.org

A few old-fashioned Dutch words:

(some of which are still used today)

Baker: (dry)nurse who sees to swaddling the baby. That was supposed to keep the child quiet as he/she could then receive less stimuli from outside.

Bakerlied: Cradle song, sung by the (dry)nurse.

Bakermat, Bakerkorf: An oblong low basket, or wooden box, standing in front of the fire, on which the (dry)nurse sat while caring for the child lying on her lap.

Deurzichten: A custom that visiting neighbours open the linen closet and the baby-linen basket to see and comment on the contents.

Kraamkloppertje: A fabric-covered door knocker. It was attached to a door to indicate the birth of a boy. If a girl was born a piece of white paper was inserted.

Kandeel/Karndeel Warm wine, spiced with cinamon and cloves. After the birth Dutch gin (jenever) or brandy with sugar was also on offer.

Kraamschudden: An expression from the north of the Netherlands to indicate presenting the baby to female neighbours and their children a few days after birth. In Brabant it is called ‘going with the crooked arm’ and in Limburg ‘going with the egg shell’. These  expressions indicate the carrying of gifts.

Pillegift: A postponed gift, promised by a godfather or godmother at the baptism, and only given if (after quite a few months or a year) the child was still alive. It could be a golden necklace, pendant, or family portraits.

Vuurmand: A basket in the baby’s room in which there is a fire to hang the linen, clothes and nappies over to dry, and in front of which the baby is swaddled.

Cradle: A basket or basin-shaped bed for babies, often in earlier times with a rounded base or later hanging so that it can be rocked (sometimes with a hood or curtains).

With thanks to:
Verloskunde(Midwifery) Academie Amsterdam, NVOG, Teunis van Heteren
(http://www.wijkkranten.dordt.nl), www.babybrabbel.org