HIST 3030 The Evolution of Social Policy in Barbados: A. Bellamy on Baby Saving Leagues in Barbados

The Role Baby Welfare Leagues played in the provision of maternal and child health

By Adrian Bellamy, HIST 3030 The Evolution of Social Policy in Barbados

During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, women gave birth at home in the British Caribbean. They were assisted by traditional midwives. These were mostly African or Asian traditional midwives were also referred to as “grannies”. The colonial powers often referred to these grannies as ‘savage, uncivilized, ignorant, superstitious, and possessed of devilish obeah practices’. They blamed midwives for the high infant mortality. This led to the emergence of maternity wards, midwifery hospitals and lying-in wards, where medical care and education could be had. Almshouses also fulfilled this function. Accommodation was provided for all socio-economic groups of women. These establishments also provided training for midwives and birth attendants in an effort to curb the high infant mortality rate.

It is interesting to note that Bridgetown was the only large urban area that did not have a public hospital. The colonial hospital was state subsidized, but privately owned. Within the first two decades of the twentieth century, a number of infant and maternal welfare initiatives emerged. This was due to the interest in population growth by imperial and colonial officials. Both privileged White and Black women played important roles within these organisations. Physicians, trained midwives, governments, church groups and social elites also supported these baby saving groups.

The earliest health-oriented organizations in Barbados included the Ladies Association for the Relief of the Indigent, Sick and Infirm in 1820. It was established by privileged White women and their target group were respectable women, who were often White. During the period of slavery the organization focused on poor whites, but by the 1830s it was mandated to serve poor Afro-Barbadians. However, by the early twentieth century it had fallen on to hard times.

There were a number of reasons that lead to the formation of baby saving leagues, these include:

●      Population anxieties of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

●      Growing attention of governments to the health of the young.

●      Colonial pressure.

●      Contemporary gender norms that represented women as nurturing and maternal aspects.

There was an international conference held in London in 1913 that was the driving force in the establishment of Baby Saving Leagues in the British colonies. Following this in 1921, Baby Saving Leagues were formed in Barbados. For the first decade, these Baby Saving Leagues were mostly located in urban areas, with their activities limited to the main urban areas such as Bridgetown in St. Michael. There was an attempt in 1923 to establish an infant welfare clinic in St. Peter, but it suffered from lack of financial support from estate owners. The aim of these Baby Saving Leagues was to educate mothers on infant healthcare and to save young lives by providing health care for theses mother that may otherwise be unavailable.

Baby Saving Leagues had some support from colonial governments and local colonies. In Barbados, parish authorities in St. Michael, for example, gave £50 (because of colonial pressure). The colonial legislature also supplied a grant of £150. There were also a number of individuals outside of the government who played a vital role in the emergence of baby saving leagues. Among these were:

●      Florence Sinclair - A druggist who in the early stages used her home as the clinic for the Infant Welfare association until the early 1930s when the organization got its own.

●      John Beckles - Opened the Children’s Goodwill League in Constitution Road in Bridgetown, St. Michael. Here he accommodated 26 children daily while their mothers went to work.

●      Elizabeth Elise Ifill-Barrow - In 1937, she also started the Baby Welfare League at Oistins, supplying the babies of poor mothers with milk and barley.  A branch was established at Dayrells Road and in November 1940 a Day Nursery was added. She was also responsible for establishing the Danbury Court Day Nursery and The St. John’s Baby Welfare League in 1950.  

The annual Report of the department of medical Services for 1944-1945 reported that three private organizations which had established clinics, were instrumental in increasing the life expectancy in Barbados for women and children (also men).

These were: the Children’s Goodwill League; the Baby Welfare League and the Christ Church Baby Welfare League.

There were a number of benefits to be had for poor women and their children, as clinics spaces provided a space for:

●      Health care - Poor mothers could bring their ill children and receive medical care.

●      Maternal education - Mothers received advice on child care and feeding and also sometimes acquired milk and food.

●      Social welfare assistance

These clinics had a few paid staff members, with most of the staff being volunteers. In 1924, a network of ‘enquiry officers’ was formed. This was small group of female volunteers who undertook home visits. These women allowed for individuals to receive the benefits that the associations had to offer. These volunteers also aided in bastard cases, where they used bastard laws to provide access to the poor law system. This was part of an initiative to compel men to support their children, in an effort to save them from an early death caused by maternal poverty.

In conclusion, it can be stated that Baby Saving/ Welfare Leagues were essential in providing both health care and education for mothers in Barbados. The expansion of these efforts by the 1960s led to an overall reduction in the child mortality, and increased child survival.

Sources

Chamberlain, M. (2010). Empire and Nation-building in the Caribbean: Barbados, 1937-66. New York: Manchester University press.

De Barros, J. (2014). Reproducing the British Caribbean: Sex, Gender, and Population Politics After Slavery. Chapel Hill : The University of Carolina Press.