What skills did Aminata have to survive?

Some of her skillls were baby-catching, reading and writing.

"... my mother taught me how to reach inside a woman - after coating my hand with warm oil- and to touch in the right spot to tell if the door was suitably wide. I became adept at that, and Mama said it was good to have me along because my hands were so small."

Source(s): The Book of Negroes