{"product_id":"making-babies-in-early-modern-england-hardback-9781009602860","title":"Making Babies in Early Modern England (Hardback) 9781009602860","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eMaking Babies in Early Modern England\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAstbury demonstrates how making babies was central to family life, status, gender and medicine in early modern England.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eLeah Astbury (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9781009602860, Cambridge University Press\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eHardback, published 19 January 2026\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e268 pages\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.2 x 1.6 cm, 0.548 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e'There is a poignancy to Astbury's examination of the expectations of delivery and the pain, discomfort, disability and fatigue that often accompanied recovery. ... This engaging, meticulously researched account provides an invaluable study of the process.' Dannielle Shaw, Times Literary Supplement\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eEarly modern English people were obsessed with making babies. In this fascinating new history, Leah Astbury traces this preoccupation through manuscript letters, diaries, recipe books and almanacs, revealing its centrality to family life. Information was plentiful in guides on the burgeoning fields of domestic conduct and midwifery, as well as in the many satirical ballads focused on sex, marriage and family. Astbury utilises this broad source base to explore all aspects of early modern childbearing, from conception to the months after delivery. She demonstrates that, while religious and cultural ideals dictated that women carry out all of this work, men were engaged in its practice through directing medical decisions. With the entire household including servants, wetnurses and other unexpected actors included in the project, childbearing can be situated within the histories of gender, medicine, social status, family and record-keeping. This title is also available as open access on Cambridge Core.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eIntroduction\u003cbr\u003e 1. Fertility, fruitfulness and anxious families\u003cbr\u003e 2. Pregnancy, record-keeping and respectability\u003cbr\u003e 3. Big bellies, imagining babies and cultures of display\u003cbr\u003e 4. Men, midwives and a place to give birth\u003cbr\u003e 5. 'Safe' delivery and recovering from birth\u003cbr\u003e 6. 'Ordering' Infants\u003cbr\u003e Conclusion\u003cbr\u003e Bibliography\u003cbr\u003e Index.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eSubject Areas: History of medicine [\u003ca title=\"See our other books on History of medicine\" href=\"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/search?q=%22History%20of%20medicine%20%5BMBX%5D%22\"\u003eMBX\u003c\/a\u003e]\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Cambridge University Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52415669076248,"sku":"9781009602860","price":77.37,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0730\/2037\/5320\/files\/9781009602860i.jpg?v=1784421548","url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/making-babies-in-early-modern-england-hardback-9781009602860","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}