Though the entire cult of fertility among the Bosnian people in the past was based on magical-religious beliefs and rigid social attitudes, still, in some of its segments, we come across empirical knowledge with which medicine today also agrees. Namely, in order to reduce the possibility of damaging the vagina, rectum and bladder, the pregnant women knew that all positions, except the one when the woman is lying down, reduces the possibility for episiotomy i.e. cutting the perineum, which in the past could have had serious consequences for the health of the woman. Steiner writes that the majority of Bosnian women will not call a doctor/male during birth, not even during a complicated birth, instead she will, during a difficult birth, cut the perineum herself is the bladder is pressed or when the baby is in an uncomfortable position, this is in fact an impossible task for the pregnant woman, therefore she would let the woman assisting her with birth perform the procedure and even sow the wound.
Though it is obvious that such an unreasonable and completely irresponsible attitude towards her own body and life is a by-product of the conservative society, in which the husband is the only man which can see a woman's intimate parts, he also jeopardized his woman by exposing her to deadly danger due to the lack of professional medical assistance. Data that most of the women that assisted during birth had no professional knowledge is ironical, they based their skills on the folk belief that a woman's womb consists out of three parts; in the first part are premature births, in the second normal birth and in the third post mature. Similarly, it was believed that in the womb itself there is a part that creates male children (right part) and left part which creates female children.
Chronic lack of education but also a dominant influence of religion, which unquestionably creates a conservative society which is hostile towards any type of progress and enlightenment, stopped the Bosnian people from advancing for centuries and inflicted more harm than it did good. Particularly alarming state was among the youngest population, namely as we can see, morbidity and mortality of children in the past in BiH was extremely high, various causes contributed to this fact from hypothermia and fever, to various infectious diseases such as diphtheria, scarlet fever, smallpox (variola), measles, etc. Besides this, women weren't in a better position to whom every birth was literally "one foot in the grave" i.e. it exposed them to direct danger of death, primarily because of the lack of medical care but also bad living conditions.
Analysing the look of Bosnian girls, Karl Steiner (Bosnian folk medicine), noticed well that frequent pregnancies and scarce living conditions resulted in physical deterioration and abrupt aging of the face after a pretty short period of youth (15-25 years). Author writes: "Childbearing women get up on the third day after birth, and starts doing house chores. This crooked custom is the culprit of rapid aging and deterioration of Bosnian women. Poor nurturing of young women after birth, when they need nurture and care the most, is avenged by women losing their beauty and vigour quickly. In this we should look for interpretation in what we notice every day that besides numerous beautiful and well fed women, we see few healthy and beautiful young women."
When we take into consideration the above mentioned we come to a conclusion that the claim by Frano Murgic that women in Visoko gave birth to twenty children is simply impossible because of some very logical reasons based on the living circumstances; every pregnancy, and especially birth, physically drains a woman. Especially if the woman nurses the child for long, which was often the case with Bosnian women, coupled with poor nutrition but also hard physical labour in essence didn't leave a lot of room for frequent pregnancies. It is medically proven that 98% of cases women cannot get pregnant during the first six months after birth while they are nursing their child - lactation amenorrhea. Analysing mathematically for a woman to give birth to twenty children she would have to give birth for 30 years, which is in stark opposition to the fact that women often got married in their 18th year. According to the writing of Karl Steiner women were physically drained in their thirties, their reproductive abilities weakened, probably due to poor health, which in the end could be an overture to premature menopause.
Egg - symbol of fertility and luck
During the time of četeresnica (40 days from an event), which we could also call postpartum quarantine, while the body of the young mother gradually returns in the form and the new born is getting adjusted to the outside life; increased fluctuation of people was avoided and they tried to limit visits to the closest family members only. Reason for such a behaviour was manifold, but the most important one is for the mother and child to rest and gather strength, since in such a state they are more prone to negative effects or disease.
Time after birth, usually during the following 40 days, though not limited by time, babine take place, ritual of gifting the new-born, but also his mother and even the whole family. Babine are primarily a reflection of female solidarity and it needs to be characterised as a socio-humane gesture, with which one is showing concern of the community for their new member. Besides, according to folk belief, this is the period when every day, during the 40 days, out of the womb of the young mother one by one a postekija is being removed. It is believed that after a woman has given birth in her womb 40 postekija are being laid, from which each day one of them is being raised and removed. As postekija is a prayer mat we're probably talking about angels praying for the young mother and protecting her from attacks from all those evil creatures which are trying to harm her in this most delicate moment.
Women went to babine on Monday and Thursday, usually before noon, while the sun is rising in the sky, wanting to bring positive influences besides the gift so that the child will develop in a healthy manner. Monday and Thursday are usually considered in Bosnian tradition as blessed days, since they are located in front of two holly days - Tuesday and Friday. While Tuesday was the holly day of the Bogomils, Friday is a holly day in Islam.
In Sandžak there is a custom that people perform babine right after birth out of practical reasons, to offer help, if there is a need to do so, and check what the mother and the child need and they bring it as gifts. As pregnancy, birth and time after it, were reserved exclusively for women and their activities since the old days, men were completely distanced from all activities, which is a rule forced by patriarchy. However, there were certain situations when they did get involved, at least during this last stage of fascinating ritual of new life, which could be characterised as "male babine", though there is another name for it - jedvoček. As the name itself reveals we're talking about a situation where a married couple is awaiting birth of a son or child generally for a long time. Men gift the child in money but also chicken egg and the child is sprinkled with some flour on the head and eyebrows "so that he may live long to an old age".
Chicken egg in the Bosnian cult of fertility is primarily a symbol of luck, life and fertility and it was mandatorily gifted according to the rule, one egg for a female and two for a male child, especially when the mother visits someone's house with the child. Among the Bosnian people a custom called Pološke was recorded, when a mother visits someone for the first time after birth, usually someone from the family, members of that family gift the child with eggs. Entering the house, the mother would ritually utter: "I'm here, the other in Pološke!" indicating that it is time to gift the child with eggs. It is interesting that the name Pološke itself comes from položak i.e. egg which is not taken from the place where chickens usually lay eggs and there is a possibility of some of them to peck.
