Birthing Pains

Anyone who has spent time around Russians knows they tend to look to their elders for wisdom and guidance. So it is that on most any Russian internet forum for women, participants actively share and accept the experience and advice of one another’s babushkas. We are not just talking about questions like how to cook real borshch or syrniki, but also how to treat any common ailment, or how to deal with a crying baby.

In fact, when it comes to questions of health in Russia, the conventional wisdom passed down by our ancestors is often assigned as much weight as the opinions of doctors. Since our babushkas managed just fine before doctors came along, their knowledge of health and childrearing is assumed to be exceptionally wise.

In fact, they didn’t do fine at all.