Patricia Davids - The Amish Midwife

Joseph went through his chores without really thinking about them. His mind was still focused on Fannie. How could she have left her baby? Why had she done it? Was a child that much of a hindrance to the career she wanted, or was there another reason she wanted him to keep Leah?

I’m desperate, Joe. She will be safe with you. I won’t worry about her for a single minute. Please. I know this sounds crazy, but it’s what’s best for her.

What did his sister’s words mean? Were they simply part of the lie she had concocted, or had she meant them? Shaking his head, he had to admit that his sister had become a stranger. He no longer knew what to believe.

Try as he might, he didn’t see a way he could care for Leah alone. Not while she was so little. He was out of the house from sunup to sunset most days. Even with electric milking machines, milking eighty goats twice a day took hours. Besides his goats, he had a small farm to run. Growing his own feed reduced his milk production costs and made sure his animals received the best nutrition possible. With winter approaching, he wouldn’t need to spend time in the fields, but this was when he caught up on equipment repairs and got ready for the spring kidding season. What would he do with the baby when he was out in the pastures all day and all night when the does were birthing? He couldn’t be in two places at once. It would be different if he had a full-time helper. Or a wife.

He glanced out the barn window toward Anne’s house. She said she would help him. Had she meant only today, or would she be willing to do more? He wouldn’t know unless he asked, but he wasn’t sure he should.

After finishing the milking, he returned to Anne’s house. He pulled the twenty-dollar bill from his pocket. “I sold three of your white pumpkins to a woman when I took your wheelbarrow up there. I didn’t know how much they were. When she offered this, I took it because she couldn’t wait.”

“That’s fine. A little more than I would have asked, but I’m not complaining. Danki. ”

He looked around the room. “Where is Leah?”

“Sleeping. I made a bed for her in the other room. I’ll show you.” She led the way to her office, where she had lined a large plastic laundry hamper with a quilt. Leah lay on her back making tiny sucking motions with her mouth. A trickle of drool glistened on her chin.

Joseph squatted on his heels beside the basket. He couldn’t believe the difference between the screaming child he had shoved at Anne and this little dear. “She liked the milk?”

Anne smiled. “She loved it. I mixed it half and half with the electrolyte water just so it wasn’t such a drastic change for her. Sometimes switching to a new formula can upset a baby’s tummy unless you do it gradually. She hasn’t spit up or fussed since she finished her bottle.”

He breathed a quick prayer of thanks that Leah wasn’t screaming or hurting. He was more grateful than ever for Anne’s knowledge and skill. “You have worked a wonder here.”

“I’m glad she tolerated the goat’s milk. I had no idea what to try next if she didn’t. We would have had to take her to see a doctor.”

Now was the time to see how much Anne was willing to do for Leah. Rising to his feet, Joseph hooked his thumbs under his suspenders and took a deep breath. “I have a proposal for you, Anne Stoltzfus.”

Chapter Five

“I’m listening,” Anne responded, waiting for Joseph to explain his odd statement.

A proposal. What did that mean? Was he going to ask her to take Leah again? Anne hardened her resolve. As much as she liked the babe, she couldn’t be Leah’s mother. What if something happened to her? The thought scared Anne to death.

Joseph shifted uneasily from one foot to the other. “I will help you get your fields harvested and fix what needs fixing around the farm in exchange for your help with Leah.”

She folded her arms. “Exactly what kind of help?”

“Like a mother would do.”

“I’ve already said I won’t keep her.”

“ Nay , you mistake my meaning. Like a kindt heedah . Feed her, bathe her, watch her while I’m working.”

“You mean you will harvest my pumpkin crop if I will be Leah’s nanny?”

“ Ja. That is what I want. Would you accept such a bargain?”

“I don’t know. I’ll have to think it over.”

It was a tempting proposal. Hauling her large pumpkins out of the field was backbreaking work. Some of them weighed over twenty pounds. As strong as Joseph was, he could do it easily. He could probably carry one under each arm and one in his teeth and still push a loaded wheelbarrow. She had only another week to get them all picked unless an early freeze hit, then she wouldn’t have anything to harvest. His help would be a blessing.

But taking care of an infant? What would she be getting herself into? She had a produce business to run. She had mothers coming for prenatal and postnatal appointments. There was no telling when an expectant father would show up wanting her to come deliver a baby. She had three mothers due before Thanksgiving. What would she do with Leah then? Run her back to Joseph’s home? Amish women didn’t call for the midwife until they were ready to give birth. She wouldn’t have time to waste.

Still, the idea of Joseph raising Leah alone was as hard to imagine as her raising his goats. If she agreed to his proposal, she would be able to keep an eye on the baby, make sure she was thriving. The big question was, could she do it without becoming too attached to Leah?

The memory of losing her baby lingered in the back of her mind. Loving a child meant risking heartbreak. She shook her head.

Joseph sighed deeply. “You don’t want the job. I understand. May I take your laundry basket with me until I can get a crib for her?”

“What has she been sleeping in?”

“A cardboard box that I lined with a blanket.”

“Of course you can use my basket. I’m sure the church will provide the things you need when they learn of your situation.”

He picked up the hamper. “I can make do without their help. I will manage until Fannie comes back.”

Anne frowned and tipped her head slightly. “I thought the letter said she wasn’t coming back.”

His face turned stoic. “She will. She’ll see what a mistake she has made and she’ll be back. I know my sister.”

Anne held her tongue. She wasn’t so sure. She fetched a half-dozen bottles of milk she had made from the refrigerator. “These pink bottles are half milk and half my fancy water. The rest are plain goat’s milk formula. If she keeps the first ones down, give her full-strength milk tonight.”

“Will you write down the recipe for me if she does well on this?”

Anne’s conscience pricked her. She wasn’t doing enough to help him. She could tell by the look on his face that he was unsure of himself. It had to be confusing and frightening for a bachelor to suddenly find he was in charge of a baby. “I’ll make all the formula for you if you bring me fresh milk every other day.”

“ Danki. I’m not much of a hand at cooking.”

“Why does that not surprise me?”

A grin twitched at the corner of his mouth. “I appreciate all the help you’ve given me.”

“You’re willkomm .”

He walked out with Leah in the basket. Anne closed the door behind him, determined not to feel that she’d made a mistake. She couldn’t accept his offer of a job. She delivered babies. She didn’t raise them. What she did raise was produce. And right now her stand was unattended.

While most people knew they could leave their money in her tin can and take the pumpkins or the vegetables that they wanted, some Englischers would simply drive by if no one was minding the stand. She needed to get up to the road. The last two weeks of October were her biggest sale days. Today, Saturday, would be especially busy.