Before I get into this, I’d like to preface that I am coming from a context of modern medicine. Obviously, these characters do not have all of the knowledge that we do today (and what we have today is nowhere near enough, but that’s a whole other story).

In this chapter, Fannie begins to have contractions, and Dr. Rosenthal announces that she is not yet dilated and the baby will probably not be coming soon. This dialogue ensues:

”Is that something we want?” asked Fannie. “You’re not due for two more weeks. So, probably As long as your blood pressure remains in check.”

Now, call me crazy, but can’t a pregnant person deliver a healthy baby “normally” at any point past 37 weeks? Due dates are also somewhat extraneous, as they are calculated from the pregnant person’s last menstrual cycle and not from conception date. I do understand that Fannie’s unfortunate medical history may complicate this, especially as it sounds like she’s suffering from preeclampsia. I guess I’m curious as to what medical norms were back in the 1930s, and if that is coloring this interaction. If a woman came in off the street in active labor at what we know to be 38 weeks, would the doctor consider that to be high risk because it is before the due date? Or were due dates calculated differently back then?

The exact intricacies of this subject are a non-issue where it concerns the narrative, but it has been bugging me for much of my reading experience thus far. This interaction just kind of nailed the coffin shut.

What do y’all think? Did this bug anyone else?