A Brief History of Birthing Stools
Giving birth while lying down is a relatively recent convention, only around 200 years old. Lying down to give birth became the default position due to the overall move of childbirth towards hospitals. For most of recorded history, women gave birth in various, more upright positions.
We know from Egyptian images that some women gave birth while kneeling, like Cleopatra as depicted in a bas-relief from the Temple at Esneh.
Bas-relief of Cleopatra giving birth in a kneeling position surrounded by female attendants
Likewise, we know that the use of a chair or stool also has ancient roots in Egypt and Babylon. Using such stools was thought to aid childbirth by using gravity while also providing support for the mother. Some of these stools look extremely uncomfortable to our modern eyes but they would only have been used in the final stages of childbirth. Women were not expected to go through potentially hours of labour while sitting on the stool.
The experience of childbirth was a female-only event, with family, friends, neighbours and, if you could afford it, a midwife in attendance. Traditionally midwives learned on the job with valuable “hands-on” experiences and the advice of older generations passed down orally. The midwife would sit or kneel facing the mother, ready to assist with delivery while the other women present would support and comfort the mother around the back of the stool. These women were often referred to as “gossips” as their job was to spread the news that birth was imminent and help distract the mother. Once the baby was born, the gossips and midwife helped the mother back into her bed which had remained unsullied by the whole process.
Illustration from the second edition of the first textbook for midwives, written by Eucharius Rößlin, 1515
Having a birthing stool was a sign of status in a way, a coveted piece of furniture that was only needed periodically (or perhaps more routinely, since this was a time before reliable contraception). For this reason, birthing stools were often inherited or passed around within a family for whomever might have need of it. Some midwives might also have had their own stools to bring along to births. For these reasons, some stools could be disassembled into smaller pieces which made it easier to store and carry. The legs might unscrew or the back could be attached with a bolt.
The use of a birthing stool declined over the course of the 19th century, particularly in urban areas across Europe. Mostly this was due to the increasing medicalisation of childbirth, a change that gradually involved more male physicians and moved the location of childbirth from the home to a hospital setting.
I have been lucky enough to come across several different examples of the birthing stool, all of which have been found in Ireland. These stools follow the style popularised in 19th-century France with three legs, a central back support and two cut-outs to hold on to either side of the seat.
Only my small nieces have been allowed to sit on these though!
My plainest birthing stool, pictured on display in Clifton House, Belfast
Stools 3 & 4 from my collection, each with slightly different finishes and embellishments
