I have heard scores of women, and even their husbands say, "When Mrs. Pittman came through the door, it was just like some kind of a blanket of peace came over them, and they didn't worry any more."

Where she was so big, she could lift and handle the patients so well. Lots of times she had to counsel the husbands too, because they didn't realize what their wives had to go through.

Lots of times, husbands were very upset. Of course they were never in the room when the baby was born, a sacrilegious thing then. She'd have to hush them out, "You go on out and cut up your wood now. Don't worry about anything."

She said that when she'd bring the black bag the older children knew there was going to be a baby in that black bag. She had to take the black bag in the room, because they'd be curious enough to look in it.

If it was in the spring or summer, she'd say, "I went up on the meadow and I turned over this big rock and I got this baby boy or baby sister for you." Of course, they spent their time turning over rocks to see if there was another baby under them!

Bill, my husband, was ten years old when his nephew Pad was born. He didn't know any more than the baby was in the black bag that she used to carry. When John's wife came downstairs some days later, Bill looked at her and said, "My heavens, mother, Lizzie must have been some sick. She's after losing some weight."

He was ten years old then, and never made the connection. Of course there was nothing explained to them. They were just left. "An airplane dropped them."

The midwife would put a cake of soap on the woman's belly button, and bind her up. She put a band around to keep the stomach in. And you stayed in bed ten days and rested. It didn't matter how well you were, or how well you felt, you stayed in bed.

A lot of the people never had any prenatal information like they have today. I mean, I had a cousin, she used to wash fish. She'd wash away at the fish, and when she'd take the first pains of childbirth, she'd wash her hands, go up and go in bed and have her baby. Just like that. Of course, everyone wasn't like that.