Mothers and Midwives

Location

Weston Gallery

Date(s)

Friday 13th January (00:00) - Sunday 15th April 2012 (00:00)

Contact

Admission free.

Box office: 0115 846 7777

Book online: www.lakesidearts.org.uk

Description

Mothers and Midwives: A history of maternity in the East Midlands

The experience of having a baby has changed dramatically over the last hundred years. It has moved from a social and domestic occurrence, which predominantly took place in the home, to a medical one which usually happens in hospital.

The exhibition explores this development through historical and contemporary sources. It looks at reasons behind the
change, and the impact that it has had on women, families, midwives and communities. It reveals changing trends in
pregnancy, labour and postnatal care, infant feeding and baby care, and the growing involvement of fathers.

The display's main focus is the experience of maternity in the East Midlands. It explores pregnancy, birth and the early
weeks of caring for a new baby through a variety of local sources, including interviews with mothers and retired midwives, photographs, and equipment relating to midwifery and baby care.

Historic material from the Manuscripts and Special Collections at the University of Nottingham provides examples from published sources and archives of medical understanding and practice from earlier times.