Birds, Bees, Flowers & Trees: “The Birth House” by Ami McKay

Right after I got home from my crazy training in Helena, MT I had a lot put on my plate at the office and at home, which meant my brain was a bit pin-ball machine.  Additionally, I was in a mood for weird books so I read two in a row.  Both of these books were purchased at Goodwill in Helena, MT and this week's book was on my Amazon Wish List for quite some time prior to purchasing it.  Last week's review (as found by clicking here) definitely fit the bill, but this week's book was all sorts of birds, bees, flowers and trees....and not the pollinating, blooming kind.  But, how could it not be with a title like "The Birth House?" 

"The Birth House" by Ami McKay  combines coming-of-age, feminism and embracing womanhood in such a spectacular way.  The book is set in pre and post World War I, Nova Scotia, Canada.  The main characters are Dora Rare and Miss Babineau.  Miss Babineau is the village midwife who takes Dora under her wing and teaches her how to deliver babies at home and use herbal remedies to help women prior, during and after childbirth.  Dora's family is one who has their own set of issues and many times Dora escapes to Miss Babineau's home for refuge.  What starts out as attending a few births with Miss Babineau quickly becomes working as an apprentice and as Dora grows up she starts to attend all the births.  

The story line definitely had some gut-wrenching realities of the dynamics for women during the early 20th century.  Women didn't have a lot of choices in how they could deliver babies, nor did they have the amazing drugs we have now to dull the pain. Women were tough, but also very vulnerable, and many lost multiple babies over the course of their childbearing years.  One of the very first interactions Dora has with helping Miss Babineau is when a child is born prematurely and later passes away.  It was ultra sad. I'm an empath at heart and I struggled hold it together while reading this scene.  The author does an incredible job at portraying Dora's feelings and perspective as a young teen trying to comprehend the magnitude of an infant dying during childbirth.  

One of my favorite aspects of the book was the theme of liberation and equality of choice for women's health care.  One of the many sub-plots of the book involves a modern, newfangled doctor who comes to the area to open a modernized hospital where they give the good drugs for delivering babies.  At this point in history, the idea of being drugged while giving birth was very new and scary for many. We see in the book how the two ideologies of giving birth in a sterile, cold hospital vs. giving birth at home have their lists of pros and cons.  It was interesting to me to read about this because in the last two decades, home deliveries, midwives and doulas have become more mainstream again. My friend is a midwife and some might call what she does voodoo, but really she is the queen of the land of badassery because her every move during pregnancy and childbirth is to make sure the mamma is comfortable and supported.  What's not to love about THAT? Miss Babineau reminded me a lot of my bad-ass midwife friend because she did not give a flying you-know-what if people didn't like her ways; she did them anyway.  She issued herbal tonics and rubs to help women conceive and deliver babies comfortably every day and taught Dora everything she knew.

As Dora grows to adulthood, she is presented with the opportunity to take over being the community midwife when Miss Babineau passes away.  Dora is presented with her own set of trials both personally and professionally and eventually finds herself in a very sticky situation.  I won't give away too much of the details because it was a surprise to me, but I really liked that the author brought an event in to Dora's adult life that allowed for some really powerful flashbacks from her time as an apprentice with Miss Babineau in her youth. 

Without a doubt this book was a solid dose of sex education, hence the title (I crack myself up). In fact, this book reminded me a lot of the BBC show, "Call the Midwife." I was quite amused when I started reading a particular chapter and realized I was headed into the early 20th Century version of the vibrator and all its glory.  Oh so funny. Just hysterical actually.  Women were so confined to having sex when their husband demanded it and without reliable birth control methods, that generally came with the underlying fear that a baby might transpire.  Enjoying their sexuality was often times out of the question. When the magical vibrating machine is introduced to some women in town it is just down right funny how they react and how it is "sold" by the medical professionals.  I cackled when I was reading it.....not gonna lie.  

My recommended reading group would be age 18 and above.  It's a Rated-R read with relationship elements, including sex, emotional abuse by a spouse or family member, death and overall cultural difficulties that come from growing up as a woman in the 1920s through 1940s.

The moral of the story: Birthin' is serious business and one that should always be about the safety, comfort and well-being of the mother and the child, period.  Oh, and don't forget to enjoy the good lovin' from time to time.  

Happy reading, my amazing, geeky lovelies!

-R

Missed last week's book review? Click here to read it!

Other Books by Ami McKay