Lying-in Scene After Childbirth, German, C
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Lying-in is the term given to the European forms of
postpartum confinement Postpartum confinement is a traditional practice following childbirth. Those who follow these customs typically begin immediately after the birth, and the seclusion or special treatment lasts for a culturally variable length: typically for one mo ...
, the traditional practice involving long
bed rest Bed rest, also referred to as the rest-cure, is a medical treatment in which a person lies in bed for most of the time to try to cure an illness. Bed rest refers to voluntarily lying in bed as a treatment and not being confined to bed because of ...
before and after giving birth. The term and the practice it describes are old-fashioned or archaic, but lying-in used to be considered an essential component of the
postpartum period The postpartum (or postnatal) period begins after childbirth and is typically considered to last for six to eight weeks. There are three distinct phases of the postnatal period; the acute phase, lasting for six to twelve hours after birth; the ...
, even if there were no medical complications during
childbirth Childbirth, also known as labour, parturition and delivery, is the completion of pregnancy, where one or more Fetus, fetuses exits the Womb, internal environment of the mother via vaginal delivery or caesarean section and becomes a newborn to ...
.


Description

A 1932 publication refers to lying-in as ranging from two weeks to two months.Lying in by Jan Nusche
quoting ''The Bride's Book — A Perpetual Guide for the Montreal Bride'', published in 1932
It also suggests not "getting up" (getting out of bed post-birth) for at least nine days and ideally for 20 days. Care was provided either by her female relatives (mother or mother-in-law), or, for those who could afford it, by a temporary worker called the
monthly nurse A monthly nurse is a woman who looks after a mother and her baby during the Postpartum period, postpartum or postnatal period. The phrase is now largely obsolete, but the role is still performed under other names and conditions worldwide. In ...
. These weeks ended with the re-introduction of the mother to the community in the Christian ceremony of the
churching of women In Christian tradition the churching of women, also known as thanksgiving for the birth or adoption of a child, is the ceremony wherein a blessing is given to mothers after recovery from childbirth. The ceremony includes thanksgiving for the woma ...
. When lying-in was a more common term, it was used in the names of several
maternity hospital A maternity hospital specializes in caring for women during pregnancy and childbirth. It also provides care for newborn infants, and may act as a centre for clinical training in midwifery and obstetrics. Formerly known as lying-in hospitals, most ...
s, for example the
General Lying-In Hospital The General Lying-In Hospital was one of the first maternity hospitals in Great Britain. It opened in 1767 on Westminster Bridge Road, London and closed in 1971. Lying-in is an archaic term for childbirth (referring to the month-long bed rest ...
in London. Until the 1970s, standard NHS postpartum care involved 10 days in hospital, with the newborns taken to the nursery overnight, ensuring the mothers were well rested by the time they returned home.


Special foods

{{See also, Groaning food A
caudle A caudle (or caudel) was a hot drink that recurred in various guises throughout British cuisine from the Middle Ages into Victorian times. It was thick and sweet, and seen as particularly suitable and sustaining for invalids and new mothers. At ...
was a hot drink, well documented in
British cuisine British cuisine consists of the cooking traditions and practices associated with the United Kingdom, including the regional cuisines of English cuisine, England, Scottish cuisine, Scotland, Welsh cuisine, Wales, and Northern Irish cuisine, Nort ...
, particularly in Victorian times, as suitable for invalids and new mothers. So much was it associated with the visits of friends to see the new baby that "cake and caudle" or "taking caudle" became a
metonym Metonymy () is a figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something associated with that thing or concept. For example, the word "wikt:suit, suit" may refer to a person from groups commonly wearing business attire, such ...
for postpartum social visits.


Social aspects

Women received congratulatory visits from friends and family during the period; among many traditional customs around the world, the ''
desco da parto A painted ''desco da parto'' (a birth tray or birth salver; : ''deschi da parto'') was an important symbolic gift on the occasion of a successful birth in late medieval and Early Modern Florence and Siena. The surviving painted ''deschi'' repr ...
'' was a special form of painted tray presented to the mother in
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...
. The many scenes painted on these trays show female visitors bringing presents, received by the mother in bed, while other women tend to the baby. Equivalent gifts in contemporary culture include
baby shower A baby shower is a party to celebrate the Childbirth, delivery or Pregnancy, expected birth of a child. Practices vary greatly by culture, but it is often a rite of passage that celebrates through Gift, giving gifts and spending time together. Wh ...
s and
push present A push present (also called a push gift or a baby bauble) is a present a partner or family gives to the mother to mark the occasion of her giving birth to their child. In practice the present may be given before or after the birth, or even in the ...
s. No fixed term of lying-in is recommended in Renaissance manuals on family life (unlike in some other cultures), but documentary records suggest that the mother was rarely present at the
baptism Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...
, which in Italian cities was usually held within a week of the birth at the local
parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...
, normally a few minutes' walk from any house."Renaissance childbirth"
Victoria & Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (abbreviated V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.8 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and named after Queen ...


In art

In art, the immensely popular scene of the ''
Birth of Jesus The Nativity or birth of Jesus Christ is found in the biblical gospels of Gospel of Matthew, Matthew and Gospel of Luke, Luke. The two accounts agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Palestine, in Herodian kingdom, Roman-controlled Judea, th ...
'' technically shows the Virgin Mary, who reclines on a couch in most medieval examples, lying-in, but in famously non-ideal conditions. More ideal images of lying-in in well-off households are represented in ''
Birth of the Virgin The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Nativity of Mary, Marymas or the Birth of the Virgin Mary, refers to a Christian feast day celebrating the birth of Mary, mother of Jesus. The modern Biblical canon does not record Mary's birth. The ...
'' and ''
Birth of John the Baptist Birth is the act or process of bearing or bringing forth offspring, also referred to in technical contexts as parturition. In mammals, the process is initiated by hormones which cause the muscular walls of the uterus to contract, expelling the f ...
''. These are generally given contemporary settings, and differ little from other images that are purely secular, especially those on ''desci da parto''.


References

Childbirth Traditions Women's culture Taboo