As a midwife, Ballard is on call to her clients. She had been caring for Mrs. Savage all week as it appears she may have had some complications. She not only delivered the child but Mrs. Savage survived the childbirth. Seeing as though death in childbirth was more common in this time, it was likely a stressful time for all parties involved and contributed to Ballard's fatigue.

Martha Ballard was a midwife in eighteenth century Maine. She would have been 50 years old in 1785. She was also a housewife and mother.

Nancy Woloch, “A Maine Midwife,” in Early American Women: A Documentary History 1600-1900, 2d ed. (Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2001), 62-63.

Many references to colic refer to infants. Here Martha Ballard is referring to a type of colic that afflicts adults. Colic is a pain that starts and stops suddenly in the abdominal region. There are different types of colic that afflicts adults, however it is difficult to know exactly what Ballard was experiencing.

This shows how determined Martha Ballard was and how seriously she took her role as a midwife. She had been confined in her house for at least five days. Yet as soon as she is able, Ballard is testing her limits, ready to get back to her role which would be very important in the community.

Martha's role as a midwife gave her a great deal of opportunities for mobility. She seemed to be constantly traveling to see to her clients. This would expand her community as she had access to a larger group of people. This would also provide her with a higher status within the community.

The poem ends with hope. Bradstreet just saw her home go up in flames, lamented the loss of her material possessions and yet she still has hope. This shows her great trust in the Lord and the great influence of Christianity on her life and viewpoints. After everything she has lost, she comforts herself with the idea of everything she will inherit in heaven.

Pelf is a word that originated in the Middle Ages which means money or riches.

Here Bradstreet is accepting the fact that her material home and her material possessions are gone. She realizes that these possessions were a part of her vanity and as they are things they should not be mourned. This attitude shows her Puritan ideals.

Succor is defined as lending help to someone in need. Here Bradstreet is praying that God send her some type of help as her house is in flames.

Anne Bradstreet was a devout Puritan in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. She married, had children and did her best to pass her commitment to the Lord on to her children.

Nancy Woloch, “A Spiritual Autobiography,” in Early American Women: A Documentary History 1600-1900, 2d ed. (Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2001), 98-99.