Aragón, Jesusita (Las Vegas, NM), part 1
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Document Type
Audio
Publication Date
4-16-2000
Recommended Citation
Anselmo Arellano collection (MSS 1140), Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections, University Libraries, University of New Mexico
COinS
Comments
Born in 1908 in Las Vegas, NM but was raised in Trujillo, NM by her grandmother who was a 'partera' [midwife]. Her abuelita [gramdma] encouraged her to learn and assist her as a partera. She assisted her first patient when she was 13. Later, when she moved to Las Vegas she continued assisting pregnant women. She says she helped women to give birth their children in different areas of northern New Mexico. She used to work hard in a factory but her supervisors used to let her go when she was called to assist a childbirth. She prayed and commended her work to God to do her midwife's job. She says that God always helped her. She used to pray to San Luis Gonzaga, a 300 year old saint figurine that belonged to her great grandmother and has been in the family for generations. She used to lead prayers in church when she was young. Talks about other figurines of saints she has in her home. Her opinion about the current [at the time of this interview] medical care provided to women after childbirth. In the past newly mothers used to have a 40 day recovery time [la dieta] under special care to avoid future diseases. The diet for the woman during the postpartum recovery: not to eat green chile, corn, or calabacita, nor watermelon, but they were allowed to have melon. They could eat lamb or veal but whenever it came from a female animal not the male. They also could eat toasted bread, and atole. She sometimes used to take care of the convalescent new mother in her house. She says she assisted many women from different ethnic groups. She tells about difficulties assisting childbirth, but she never scared the patient; on the contrary, she always encouraged her patients. Sometimes she heard negative comments about her work as a midwife; yet, her patients ended up loving her and her care. A story about how a priest cured her from a cracking headache [migraine] and how he blessed her for doing her partera's work successfully. She says she had assisted about 30,000 childbirths and she had the records of all those births. Medicinal herbs she used to treat her patients. How to treat and heal 'el Susto', she knows how to cure 'el empacho' in babies. She thinks her midwife's skills were granted by God. She says the work of a midwife is hard and demands a lot of physical sacrifice. A story about an American woman who was in need of her help, but who did not have a penny to pay. Jesusita assisted her without any charge as she was committed to helping women. Memories of her school years in Trujillo and more stories about her experiences as a midwife.