On a holiday or on Shabbat one should not deliver an animal of its young, by taking hold of a fetus in the womb and pulling it out. Some say that this requires excessive exertion, while others – that it represents the final step in birth, and making a final step in creating anything is forbidden Shabbat. However, one is allowed to help the animal to give birth, by grasping the young when it emerges, so that it does not fall to the ground. One may also blow into its nostrils to clear them of mucus and put a teat into its mouth so it would suckle.
For a woman that is giving birth one can take any necessary action, such as calling the midwife, traveling to a distant place, and later tying and cutting the umbilical cord. One may also perform all the requirements of circumcision.
During birth, one may light a lamp for her. – Of course one can, what's the news? – Even if the woman herself is blind and cannot derive benefit from light, still, since she feels better knowing that the light is on, it is allowed. One can make a large bonfire to warm up the woman, and even in hot summertime. The Talmud then describes the laws of bloodletting, which was a popular medical procedure.
Art: Victor-Alfred-Paul Vignon - Mother and Child taking a Walk
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