Medieval Midwife Hairstyle

[@bubbylikesmusic]

I can't even say how thrilled I am these videos exist. This appeals to my history geek side, and my beauty junkie side. Love!!!

[@willynilly7247]

My mother used to have her hair like that but was much thicker . The braid on top of her head she used as a support to carry water or. Bundles of firewood. That is back in the old country.

[@FlaminiaJulia]

May I ask what your old country was?

[@faithimboden208]

I am an aspiring midwife and am currently working on pre-recs for nursing school and will continue on to get a masters in midwifery. I am very passionate about history and especially the history of midwives, thank you so much for making this video, its fun to see what might have been going on beneath the head wraps!

[@pamelaturnbull4344]

You, dear Lady (Janet Stephens) are an absolute genius. I have been transfixed watching your videos, from Cleopatra to the time of Napoleon !!! You have answered the many questions I have had concerning the complexity of hair styles throughout history. My speciality is costume, I know what I'm doing with fabric, but hair, gods, its almost the same!! as your inspirational videos have shown. I did NOT know hair was sewn, not the faintest idea!!! A revelation ! Thank you SO much XXX

[@kh22912]

Midwives were more successful than physicians in helping moms survive back then because midwives, only dealing with women and childbearing, only dealt with that population so they were not exposed to the diseases a physician would. Thus, a physician would easily carry more deadly pathogens to the mother if helping deliver her baby.

[@VicvicW]

I would also reckon they parobably knew a plethora of tricks and techniques to help smooth the birthing process. Things like how to handle breech births and things.

[@ah5721]

@@VicvicW modern midwives also know how to do these as well

[@kathleenwoods8416]

That, and they rarely expected the mother to take up unhelpful positions. Birthing while on your back is gravitationally taxing for most creatures.

[@_ZeroQueen_]

It's such a pretty yet simple style. I can't wait to have the length to pull it off with some pretty hair sticks in place of bodkins. I was sort of surprised at how simple and easy this style was but I guess midwives don't have much time to be fussing over their hair, just braid it, secure it, and getting on with the day.

[@strategicexit8561]

my sister is studying to be a midwife, i'm gonna show her this!!

[@marlabonner1643]

What an extraordinarily well done video! Thank you, Ms. Stephens!

[@jennifersmith9882]

So simple yet so elegant!! Loving this!!!

[@duskycranesbill]

What a fascinating picture! I can see that the head wrap, as well as being a head-covering, is also serving as a useful towel for the hands, in top-centre panel, and also, apparently as a cover of some sort - (possibly a bowl for the placenta?) at top left? So useful that the midwives came prepared with a ready-to-use cloth-cum-apron, draped around their head. And of course the distinctive head-dress clearly identifies the professionals in the room. PS Isn't it adorable that they are bathing the Baby, centre front? See how she tests the water with her hand - a gesture unchanged since time immemorial.

[@gracehammel2272]

Wow!! This was simply amazing! I just loved how you were able to show the model in the painting at the end. It looked perfect!

[@jeanne-marielaverriere2425]

Another triumph!! Thank you Janet!!!

[@thenerdycrone]

Great video, would you be doing videos on Anglo Saxon and Viking hair styles together with the different head veils, as I reenactor I am never quite sure how to dress the hair under my wimple, though its been implied that hair was bound around the head. Also in Gayle Owen Crocker's Anglo Saxon Dress book it talks about women curling their forelocks with tongs and displaying them but have never seen anyone do this would love to see how that would have actually looked.

[@valsevenav]

Shared all over! Your work is fantastic, informative, and interesting!

[@gloriagilbert9403]

Thank you for your new video I love the history behind each of the videos ;)

[@lamusicamagnifica14]

I don't know why, but I find your channel so fascinating:)

[@Daniepannieful]

Thx for the video, I found it really interesting. Can you try to create ancient Asian hairstyles? They would be so interesting to see.

[@QuantumKitty]

This channel is amazing! Thank you so beautiful.

[@layladantour6542]

Lovely hairstyle!

[@twominutetips]

Wonderful - thank you for our research and sharing.

[@RobinLL]

As always, a perfect video.

[@Ea-Nasir_Copper_Co]

The maternal death rate you give in this video may be significantly too low; evidence from Tudor England suggests that 25% of Tudor era women - one in four! - died of pregnancy or childbirth-related issues. Obviously most did not die giving birth to their first child, as Queen Jane Seymour and Queen Dowager Kateryn Parr did; many died either of a later birth (as did Queen Elizabeth of York, mother of Henry VIII, who died after her seventh delivery) or of pregnancy-related conditions not diagnosable at the time (including possibly Mary I, who may have died of choriocarcinoma secondary to a complete molar pregnancy).

[@ragnkja]

If her statistic was per birth, and yours per mother, there should be an average number of children per mother where they match up.

[@scavideospotlight]

Good Stuff. Recently took my son to the Midwife Donkey Convention in Downtown Vancouver and was inspired to braid hair in the olden style there. Very Good stuff.

[@PercivalHoward]

fascinating, as usual!

[@oldfashiondolls]

Great, as usual!

[@1taffycat]

I really love your videos Janet! I was wondering, in the painting you use, there is a lady in blue by the midwife whose hair is uncovered and she appears to have her hair done up with hair taping - the method where you use a blunt needle and ribbon or thread to sew the hair in a wreath around the head, most often seen in Italian Renaissance styles. It reminds me of the techniques you use with the Roman hairstyles using thread and a needle to sew the braided bun in place and it seems to me this would be more secure but this is partially due to personal experience with my own hair which doesn't hold for very long using bodkins. What do you think? And thank you again for all the hard work and time you put into making these!

[@jntvstp]

Thanks TC! Feel free to use hair taping by all means! I am speculating on this midwife reconstruction, with the thought that, who knows, during a particularly messy birth a midwife might need to get her hair down really fast...(eeuuww)! I will do a hair taping video at some point, I'm searching for the perfect art work (hopefully a sculpture) to emulate. cheers, Janet

[@debbieboring3422]

That was very helpful thank you.

[@tamisa3410]

Lovely! Where did you get the tools? Like the bodkins.

[@jntvstp]

Thanks Tamisa! I troll for tools everywhere I can. I have particularly good luck at sheep and wool festivals; thats where I found my double sided comb. You can make bodkins yourself by cutting dowels into your desired length and sharpening them with a pencil sharpener. cheers, Janet

[@tamisa3410]

Thank you!!! ;)

[@dancingdreams89]

Lovely

[@ktoledo8315]

My grandmother died in childbirth.

[@Noblebird02]

How long does the veil have to be

[@jntvstp]

36” wide by 45 to 50 long works well. Have fun! Cheers, J.

[@Noblebird02]

@@jntvstp thankyou. That is so helpful and kind of you to reply

[@jrfran59]

Any plans for a work shop?

[@jntvstp]

Funny you should ask! I will be giving a workshop at BALTICON 2015 over Memorial Day weekend. I will probably focus on the 1870's-1880's for this one. Thanks for watching! Janet

[@jrfran59]

please send out registration information when you have details. Most interested, I get very happy when I see a new tutorial up from you.

[@6Fiona6_P_6]

And during The Reformation Period in England most of the rituals surrounding childbirth changed. All relics and talismans and prayers to the virgin and the saints were banned and forbidden. King Henry the 8th's England didn't bring comfort and ease to mothers about to give birth. It increased their stress and fears...... ☮️

[@Irina_89user-zl7ve2wp2e]

Hair bodkins are not medieval Italian thing. They used hairpins. Look at museum artefacts.