n knew children were important and a sign of success, there were means of birth control. Women had devices that they could insert into the womb and birth canal, making it a hostile environment in which fertilization could not take place. Egyptian women also knew that continued lactation had some sort of tie with not getting pregnant. Childbirth was a very important moment in a woman’s life. It was both the consummation of great physical burden, and of the societal urges. It was also a very dangerous moment in a woman’s life. Many women died in the process of childbirth from complications. Women gave birth while in a squatting position. Their delivery was attended to by midwives and friends. There were remedies that had been found to speed up the process. At the same time, the gods Isis and Horus were called upon to make the delivery fast and safe. So many women died in the throws of birthing, that the life expectancy rate of women was four years shorter than for men. The first weeks after birth were very risky for the newborn, and the mother was constantly with her child, nursing it and caring for it. Even so, many children died from intestinal infections and the like. If a mother and child died from complications, they were interned and buried together.A mother continued to breast feed her children until they grew to be three years old. The Egyptians knew that the breast milk was far less likely to be contaminated than their everyday food. Because breast-feeding was so important, women used many different remedies to increase lactation. There were balms that could be rubbed on the back and breast, and other concoctions that were consumedNurses were hired to care for the children during their everyday lives, washing them, looking after them. These nurses could be men or women; there was no gender limitation or requirement. The only gender specific job was that of the wet nurse, who obviously needed to be a ...
