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A Slave Woman Talks About Breastfeeding
Monday, November 5, 2007
I was literally propelled out of my seat when I ran into an audio recording, one of only 26 known, where an ex-slave woman named Mrs. Laura Smalley described a typical day when slave women would nurse their babies.
Here is a link to the audio recording.
Or, if you prefer here's a transcript of what Mrs. Laura Smalley said about slave women and breastfeeding. By the way, the picture I include here isn't of Mrs. Smalley. Only seven pictures of the 26 slaves who were interviewed in person are still around. This ex-slave's name is Lucy Ann Warfield, an ex-slave who lived at 1874 South Limestone Street, Springfield, Clark County, Ohio.
Transcript:
Mrs. Laura Smalley: And they had certain times to come to them childrens. I think about this like a cow out there will go to the calf, you know.
Unidentified Woman Interviewer: Ahha.
Mrs. Laura Smalley: And you know, they'd have a certain time, you know, cow come to his calf and at, at, at night. Well, they come at ten o'clock. Everyday at ten o'clock to all them babies. Give them what nurse, you know.
Unidentified Woman Interviewer: Ahha.
Mrs. Laura Smalley: Them what didn't nurse they didn't come to them at all, the old lady fed them. Them wasn't big, wasn't big enough to eat, you know. She'd ah, the old mother had time, you know, to come. When that horn blowed, they'd blow the horn for the mothers, you know. They'd just come just like cows, just a running, you know, coming to the children.
John Henry Faulk: Out of the fields.
Mrs. Laura Smalley: Out of the fields.
Unidentified Woman Interviewer: How long did they nurse a baby?
Mrs. Laura Smalley: Ma'am? [echo]
Unidentified Woman Interviewer: Couple years? How long would they nurse a baby, till it was big enough to walk, I guess?
Mrs. Laura Smalley: Yes. Something or other like nine months, or something like that, you know.
Unidentified Woman Interviewer: Ahha.
Mrs. Laura Smalley: They'd nurse them till they be, get big enough, you know, to eat.
Unidentified Woman Interviewer: Ahha.
Mrs. Laura Smalley: Ta get eat. And they come to, come to every time, come there and ah, nurse that baby, ten o'clock. Ten o'clock in the day.
Unidentified Woman Interviewer: [During (?)] the day?
Mrs. Laura Smalley: Yes, ma'am. Ten o'clock in the day and three o'clock in the day. They come to that baby and nurse it.
Unidentified Woman Interviewer: Twice a day.
Mrs. Laura Smalley: Yes, ma'am, twice a day. Come there and nurse that baby. He couldn't eat, you know. But one could eat he would't come until dinner time. But little one what couldn't eat they'd come to it. That old woman had a time in there slopping them children. [laugh] Yes, sir. And I knowed that. And I remember, you see a scar right up in my forehead? Kind of a scar.
Mobile post sent by Jennifer J using Utterz.
Labels: breastfeeding history
posted by Jennifer James @ 8:36 AM,
6 Comments:
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At November 5, 2007 10:45 AM,
southernmom said...
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Wow. What an amazing piece of history.
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At November 5, 2007 10:27 PM,
rjweems said...
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Thanks for this piece of history. It's truly amazing how slavewomen survived and cared for their babies despite the adversities they had to endure.
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At November 6, 2007 2:02 AM,
Camillamai said...
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What interesting insight into breastfeeding in the past. Guess there probably wasn't so much complaining about "not having enough milk" from these brave women. Poor babies that had to wait for so long for their next meal - it's should have been twice an hour, and not twice a day.
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At November 8, 2007 11:50 PM,
Elizabeth F. said...
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I am very surprised by the twice a day deal too. I'm wondering if it was twice a day near the end of nursing or like that when the baby was a newborn as well? How would a baby thrive on 2 feedings a day? So many questions. Thanks for digging this up!
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At November 26, 2007 5:11 AM,
Ravin said...
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I got the impression it was twice a day, then they probably had the babies with them while they slept and they had free access all night. And the old woman giving them cereal or whatever as soon as they could take it, for in between the nursing times.
Isn't it crazy that many working women today don't even get the time slave women had to breastfeed their babies? -
At February 20, 2008 7:57 AM,
Scottie said...
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John Henry Faulk was in on this interview. How fascinating. I "know" him from his Christmas Story that our family listens to every Christmas, kleenyx close at hand, and that we quote to each other throughout the year. The text of his Christmas Story is available at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1115979 but so is his voice, his marvelous telling of the story, at the same link.
I have to wonder how and why and when he was in on the interview of a slave woman talking about breastfeeding.
