The nineties woman today is strong, fearless, while still very lady like. The woman of 1790 were submissive, isolated, and told what to do. Martha Ballard could be considered two hundred years ahead of her time. She managed to care for seven kids, deliver thousands of babies, and still maintain a household. Anybody with commonsense could tell you this is no easy task but this was the everyday life of Martha Ballard.
Today it would be considered absurd to have seven children. But in Martha's time it was considered normal. They lived in a new country were population was low, and the inhabitants there had to help the numbers grow. Martha gave birth to seven children who all needed attention as much as the next one. Martha managed to teach her children manners and courtesy as well as how to get along in the world. She sacrificed to get the girls a weaving machine so they could make their own cloths for their families when they married. Even when they were older she was able to support them. Through all her child rearing she only lost one child which was extremely good for that time period. It was also due to uncontrollable circumstances like disease. This is a formidable feat especially compared to today's standards. Along with maintaining her own children she also brought other children into the families of others.
The midwife today is not so important as it was two hundred years ago. Back then it was the highest paying job for a female. Martha in her life time birthed over three thousand babies. She received generous amounts of money doing this and also made many friends. As a woman it was hard to earn money in those times for things other then knitting and what not. Martha was a ground breaker though and proved that a woman could succeed in the new world of America. She was considered the main doctor in town and she had that respect. When there were medical problems other then pregnancies she was there ...