Onnie Lee Logan: Motherwit

 Word Count: 648

From Motherwit by Onnie Lee Logan

“So one morning befo’ day I woke up, somethin told me in my sleep. Next time you have yo’ white babies, get the blue-sealed Vaseline and rub it around their lil eyes real good befo’ you put the silver nitrate in” (494-5).

“So I’m lettin out one a my secrets. I don't want to bury em. There’s so much that I don't want to die with. Not sharing it with somebody. That's what give me the idea to do a book because I have so much experience in here that I want to explode. I was not taught to do that. God give that to me” (487).

“And that is I'm with my patients at all times with a smile and keepin her feelin good with kind words … Most of the doctors when they do say somethin to em its so harsh … Some of em say that if they wasn't strapped down there they would get down and come home. Alot of women are left totally alone. And plenty of em have had their babies right by themselves” (485).

It is very obvious that Onnie is very experienced in her profession. Onnie is a midwife who takes private jobs with women and in her narrative she describes her process when the mother is giving birth and the different options of what might happen. She lists so many facts that we know to be true today and her techniques of fixing the issues. 

Onnie has multiple purposes for writing this narrative. The first one is because she has had so much experience in this field and knows so many tips and tricks that she wishes to share to the world so that other midwives can use these techniques so more women can have easier births. She says that keeping this knowledge a secret for her own gain is not her way because God taught her not to be that way. But another reason is that she, though she never outright said it, evidently believes that the way the doctors treat women who are giving birth is both unacceptable and inefficient. For example, she makes sure to treat her patients with kindness even when they are not kind in return because she knows the pain they are experiencing. She also knows that the doctors do not do this and may do the opposite, saying harsh words to shut her up and strapping their patients to the table to prevent them from moving. Through her experience she has figured out the best way to treat a mother who is giving birth to keep her comfortable which also in turn keeps them coming back to her, though that is not her concern at all. 

Another big theme in this is her relationship with God. She continuously mentions God and how he helps her and her patients. She gives reminders to them saying, now it is up to God because she knows that He created us. She also praises him saying how beautiful his creation is and how specific his design is. For example, she says, “Now it could be that it takes mo’ pains to clean the uterus each time or to make their uterus get back in its place.You see what I mean? Ain’t God beautiful?” (493). The last paragraph was really interesting. There are a few places in this narrative where she says that God had given her this knowledge that she uses in her profession. While she doesnt say it outright, in the last paragraph she is referring to the fact that God had revealed to her this knowledge and she has in turn given it away to readers and to medical professionals. Her profession is also her way of sharing the gospel with her patients and giving them encouragement in a painful time that will last for longer than the pain they are experiencing then.