382 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. I33 



Prenatal factors. — No cause of sterility was known; nor was a 

 way of producing fertility known. There was no knowledge regarding 

 contraceptive devices. Children were considered a blessing. In fami- 

 lies of informants there were from 6 to 15 children. An occasional 

 family had as many as 20 children. 



Prenatal period. — Pregnancy was counted by moons; at the third 

 moon the fetus was considered to be a person ; at the ninth moon birth 

 was expected. In all probability, sex preference was not institutional. 

 There was no way of producing sex, but sex was predicted during 

 pregnancy. There was no belief in reincarnation. The father of an 

 unborn child is not hampered by either food or conduct taboos or 

 prescriptions ; his pregnant wife is. 



Childbirth. — The home, that is the toldo, was the proper place for 

 the birth of the child. In summer, on rare occasions, delivery took 

 place in a shelter erected near the toldo. The unmarried mother de- 

 livered her child usually in an unfrequented place. There were no 

 professional midwives. The woman's mother always assisted with 

 the birth. In dire necessity, a man performed the services of mid- 

 wifery in the delivery of his own child. The woman's husband and 

 her father, and occasionally her children, were present at the delivery. 

 The unmarried mother was alone except for a woman friend. 



In general, women took no decoctions to facilitate birth, for de- 

 liveries were usually easy. In cases of prolonged labor, the woman 

 was given a nauseating preparation or was encouraged to produce 

 abdominal contraction by blowing. The woman kneels during de- 

 livery, clutching an upright pole or pulling a rope. Births today are 

 recorded in conformity with Argentine law. 



Both premature and stillbirths occurred, but both were very rare. 

 A dead fetus was removed by the assisting woman. The navel is 

 given no treatment. Formerly the navel cord was dried and either 

 stored or given in powdered form to the child when sick ; today, it is 

 buried inside the house near the wall. If there is difficulty in ejecting 

 the placenta, the woman either is given a specific decoction or is made 

 to gag. The placenta is buried near the wall of the house, either 

 inside or outside ; in several instances in recent years it was discarded 

 as refuse. 



If a child was born with a caul — a rare occurrence — it was expected 

 to grow up to be intelligent. The caul was dried and either stored in 

 the house, or buried within or near it. 



Mother's milk is used to sterilize the baby's eyes, generally ; occa- 

 sionally, today, aniline dye is used. Fontanels should close before the 



