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Gone Medieval

Childbirth in Medieval Times with Kate Lister

Gone Medieval

History Hit

History

4.62.2K Ratings

🗓️ 15 July 2025

⏱️ 41 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This episode contains explicit language and graphic descriptions of birth


Today we're delving into historical childbirth's stark realities, facing the medieval attitudes toward childbirth, its dangers, and grizzly details. Dr. Eleanor Janega pays a visit to our sister podcast Betwixt the Sheets to be the guest of its presenter Dr. Kate Lister, and they explore the life of midwives, including their crucial role, training, and societal perceptions. They also touch on unique aspects such as the medical practices of nuns, the evolving understanding of childbirth, and the heartbreaking prevalence of maternal and infant mortality.


Dr Kate Lister is a sex historian and host of our sister podcast Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society. Over on her pod, there are new episodes twice a week every week, and Kate explores everything from witch trials, to the sex lives of kings and queens, to scandals which change the course of history. Check it out if you haven’t already.


MORE:

The Real Joan of Arc with Dr. Kate Lister

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2wgZwZ7RZt5d6AZOeLih2b

Medieval Sex Work

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0GDgtPZjN02v5Sf9fyv4jK


Gone Medieval is presented by Dr. Eleanor Janega. It was edited by Tom Delargy and Amy Haddow, the producer is Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music used is courtesy of Epidemic Sounds.

Gone Medieval is a History Hit podcast.


Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. 


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Transcript

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0:00.0

Hello, I'm Matt Lewis.

0:02.6

And I'm Dr. Eleanor Yonaga.

0:04.2

And we're just popping up here to tell you some insider info.

0:08.0

If you would like to listen to Gone Medieval ad-free and get early access and bonus episodes,

0:13.3

sign up to History Hit.

0:14.5

With the History Hit subscription, you can also watch hundreds of hours of original documentaries.

0:20.6

Such as my new series on everyone's favorite

0:22.8

conquerors, the Normans, or my recent exploration of the castles that made Britain. There's a new

0:29.9

release to enjoy every week. Sign up now by visiting historyhit.com forward slash subscribe, or find a link in the show notes for this episode.

0:45.0

Hello, I'm Dr. Eleanorianica and welcome to Gone Medieval from History Hit, the podcast that delves into the

0:55.2

greatest millennium in human history. We uncover the greatest mysteries, the gobsmacking

1:01.8

details, and the latest groundbreaking research from the Vikings to the Normans, from kings to

1:07.9

popes, to the Crusades. We delve into the rebellions, plots, and murders that tell us who we really were.

1:17.3

And how we got here.

1:23.1

As a society, we don't really like to think about childbirth.

1:27.8

There's good reasons for that.

1:29.7

It's dangerous and painful, and we actually just want to focus on babies

1:33.8

rather than what people have to go through in order to produce them.

1:37.8

But the thing is, as dangerous and difficult as childbirth is even now,

1:42.6

we have absolutely nothing on our medieval forebearers.

1:47.0

And interestingly, they were a lot less shy about talking about the often grisly realities

1:52.8

behind the child bed. Not only were average people a lot more familiar with what the process

...

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