By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)
‘Before the Birth of One of Her Children’ is a poem by Anne Bradstreet (c. 1612-72), who was the first poet, male or female, from America to have a book of poems published: The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung up in America appeared in 1650. As well as penning a touching poem about her husband, Bradstreet also wrote this poem, written before one of her children was born.