Despite all the separate interest I’ve taken in the subjects of childbirth and domestic architecture, I had never heard of a “borning room” until today.
When I’ve read about all the Caitlin Flanagan, et.al., that I can stand, I find it's nice to escape to the calm, down-to-earth, sensible words of Gladys Taber. I ordered a couple more Stillmeadow books from alibris.com. Stillmeadow Album arrived today, full of black and white photos of the interior and exterior of Taber’s little pre-Revolutionary house. Regarding one of the photos of the back of the house, Taber writes: “this back view of Stillmeadow shows the small roof of the borning room. This room was always built just off the keeping room (which was kitchen, dining room, living room.) Some heat from the great fireplace in the keeping room helped keep the mother and newborn warm.”
The above borning room is one I found on the Internet (not Stillmeadow's).
I'd have to attribute my ignorance of borning rooms to my Mid-westerness. The oldest houses around these parts probably only date back to the 1850's or 1860's and I suppose most settlers weren't affluent enough to have a separate room just for giving birth. But I think a borning room is an optimistic name for a room that was no doubt used just as often for care of the ill or the dying. It makes all the sense in the world, of course, but still rather amazes me that a home should have had a separate room built just for taking care of others.
As I wrestle with the decision about whether or not to have another child, despite the fact that I am completely uninsured for maternity, (one of the hazards of being self-employed), I may wish this bungalow had a borning room of its own.
And then I'll give this enterprising woman a call--but, hey, I'll need the area code!
2:40:31 PM 
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