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Birth girdles like this one, in the Wellcome Trust’s collection, were used in the Middle Ages to protect women during pregnancy and childbirth. Medieval English Birth Scroll. MS. 632/Wellcome Collection (CC-BY 4.0)
Medieval ‘birthing girdle’ contains delivery fluid, milk, and honey
Mar. 9, 2021 , 7:01 PM
More than 500 years ago, an anxious woman faced one of the most dangerous moments known to medieval medicine: childbirth. To help her survive, she wrapped a 3-meter-long belt of parchment around her heaving belly, hoping the prayers and religious symbols that covered it would deliver her and her baby safely through the ordeal. Now, scientists examining the stitched-together sheepskin parchment, from 15th century England, have found that she was still wearing it when she went into labor.
New Birthing Girdle Study Answers Questions About Medieval Childbirth ancient-origins.net - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from ancient-origins.net Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.