Mary O’Toole and Maize were doing everything they could to help Allie and to keep her comfortable.
Screaming at the top of her lungs, looking directly at Mary O’Toole before closing her eyes against the pain, Allie cried, “I can’t do this; it hurts too badly! Please make it stop,” she begged.
Although most women gave birth without the benefit of having a doctor there, Mary sent Willie to fetch the doctor- Allie appeared to be having trouble that was beyond her capacity to handle.
“Next time a pain comes, bear down, Miz Allie,” said Maize, “you has to push dat baby outta there.” “Oh, no, I don’t!” yelled Allie, gripping the sheets with both hands as she fought against the pain. “Maize is right, Miz Jackson, you have to push- you can’t keep fighting against this- if you don’t give birth to that baby you’re both going to die,” said Mary O’Toole. Hearing heavy footsteps coming up the stairwell, Mary O’Toole and Maize both breathed a sigh of relief that the doctor was finally there. However, they soon saw that it was not the doctor; it was Willie. He told them the doctor was out on a call; he had to go to the Citadel to treat some wounded soldiers. Since the doctor could not come, his wife sent a small bottle of Laudanum with a note that said for them to give her a teaspoon every hour or so until the birth, that it would help her to relax and make the birthing process easier. “Taint never heard it called a pro-cess before,” said Mary O’Toole, “but I reckon that is what it be, a pro-cess of giving birth.” Four hours later, a very worn out Allie, gave birth to a little baby boy, just as everyone predicted she would. It had taken several doses, before she relaxed, but the laudanum helped immensely. If she had not been able to birth the baby, she would have died. As it was, she was bleeding heavily and that in itself worried both Mary O’Toole and Maize. For the time being, all they could do was try to keep the flow staunched and pray. Maize washed and dried the baby before offering him to Allie to hold. When she had finished and wrapped him in a small blanket, she took him to Allie. “He looks like Master Thomas wit red hair,” said Maize, lowering him toward Allie; however, Allie did not reach for him as expected. Not knowing what to do, Maize looked to Mary O’Toole for instruction. “Lay the wee one on the bed beside ‘er,” said Mary O’Toole. “She’ll take to him in a bit.” When the baby cried out, Allie glanced down at him, thinking, you’re crying, after what you just did to …show more content…
She had no idea of what to do about little Samuel’s care; she wished her mother or grandmother were there to talk to about it. Allie knew her mother’s feelings because she had told her how she felt about caring for her children, however, Allie did not feel the same need her mother talked about. Mary O’Toole said that she would help care for him, but already had many other duties to attend to and suggested that Allie take on a mammy to care for him. Even going so far as to suggest that now that her grandparents were deceased that she should take Maize into her employ. Allie worried that if she took Maize with her, who would care for Eli’s needs; however, Eli quickly assured her that the other servants would be all he needed when she broached the subject to