Whaling and wailing: Childbirth at sea on nineteenth-century whaling voyages

Olivia L. Thomas
International Journal of Maritime History. Volume 36, Issue 1, February 2024 Pages 107-139
https://doi.org/10.1177/08438714231198614

Abstract

Nineteenth century whaling voyages commonly lasted several years, as the vessels and crews would not return to their home port until the holds were full of whale oil. Sailors with wives and families at home would be separated from their loved ones until their job at sea was done.

This extended separation led many whaling wives to join their husbands on board. On the musty, cramped ships that would be their homes for several years, some whaling wives brought their children along, some were pregnant when they boarded and some conceived at sea. Ideally, a pregnant whaling wife would be put ashore in the later stages of her pregnancy to avoid giving birth on board the dirty, pitching, male-dominated whaling ship, but such relief was not always possible.

Nineteenth century childbirth was shifting from female-dominated midwifery to male-dominated medical obstetrics. This change was marked by new training in midwifery, the invention of new obstetric equipment, and sometimes, more positive obstetric outcomes. Even on land, at the best of times, childbirth was still a potentially dangerous and devastating experience. This paper compares typical childbirth conditions, strategies and outcomes of the nineteenth century with those faced by whaling wives at sea.