Position and handling of delivery (Spain)
In the early 20th century, 17% of Spanish women gave birth kneeling down. The women of Ávila, who at that time wore hats like that in the picture, frequently gave birth on their knees. A reponse to the Ateneo questionnaire, from the village of Cebreros, describes it thus:
[…] women give birth kneeling on the floor, leaning with their arms folded on the bed, with their thighs apart and their stomachs over the floor. The midwife kneels behind the parturient’s buttocks and touch and collect the baby from between the thighs.
Photo, Lucía Castillo