A Handy Guide to Pregnancy and Birth
for the Seventeenth-century Woman
by Sara Read

Also available on Kindle

In 1671, one midwife, Jane Sharp, drew on her thirty years of experience to publish a guide for her sister midwives.

In The Midwives Book; or, The Whole Art of Midwifry Discovered, her aim was to reduce the numbers of women suffering at the hands of those with no anatomical or theoretical training.

​The book was divided into separate sections covering ‘conception, breeding, bearing, and nursing of children’. Her book was written in such a ​way that it could be used to inform prospective parents as well as professionals.

This Handy Guide gives a fascinating insight into:

• Signs that you are expecting
• Still not sure? Try a test?
• Not pregnant yet? Try this test to see if the man or woman requires medical help
• Congratulations, you are pregnant. Now want to know if it is a girl or a boy?
• The position of the infant in the womb
• Be careful what you wish for
• To try to prevent miscarriage
• Rules for Midwives managing a Woman in Labour
• Instructions for Midwives Managing Postnatal Care
• The Woman's Month