A 500-year-old parchment birthing girdle could give us more insight into childbirth for medieval mothers. A research team, including one of our experts, looked at non-human materials detected in one of the few surviving English girdles to see what their significance was in medieval birthing procedures. These materials offer direct evidence that such girdles were physically worn like a chastity belt, to help support pregnant women during childbirth. Important protection in a perilous age Childbearing in medieval Europe was a highly perilous time with considerable risks for both mother and baby. The Pre-Reformation Church in England offered numerous talismans or relics to pregnant women hopeful for a safe delivery – including birth girdles, made from different materials including silk, paper and parchment.