Pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum in wealthy noble families in the first half of the 18th century in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth

Abstract

The article deals with the experience of pregnancy and early motherhood in relation to the milieu of the magnates and nobility of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the first half of the 18th century. The analysis covers extensive source material which includes the preservedcollections of private correspondence of representatives of wealthy nobility and magnates, withparticular emphasis on the female half of this population. In turn, this material has been split by selected key issues, such as: trying to have children, pregnancy, birth, postpartum period, andearly motherhood. Problems resulting from these stages of motherhood have been analysed in a broad context, considering both mental issues – fulfilling the socially expected role of wife and mother, dealing with new situations and diffi culties, building relationships with new-born children – and physical elements, such as health, sickness, dealing with weakness and new responsibilities.