Reply To: Midwifery in The Frozen River

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January 17, 2025 at 8:15 am #33040

I was most invested in the outcome of Grace Sewell and her baby. I just felt so badly that Grace had people around her who didn’t know how to properly care for her or put her needs first. Mrs. Hendricks was too caught up in status and upward mobility to listen to Martha with all her experience. And Dr. Page was too caught up in his self-importance and belittling Martha. So when Page gave Grace the laudanum, I got so upset. I usually don’t have emotional reactions to fictional characters, but maybe it’s because the characters and the scene bring up attitudes that continue in the present day. Even today, women’s health concerns are too often ignored. There was a recent study pointing out that there is sadly a systemic gaslighting of women’s symptoms by the medical establishment. (Women are often told their symptoms are “all in their head” when it turns out the opposite is true.) It’s the prejudices that came up in Grace’s birth that were what struck me. And poor Grace. Sometimes when a person is sick, they don’t have the strength or courage to champion for themselves. I let out a cheer and sigh of relief when Martha took over and rescued Grace and the baby.

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