deft
: skillful and clever
: able to do something quickly and accurately
: characterized by facility and skill
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deft
In Beloved page 185 paragraph 1
“Young and deft with four children , one of which she delivered herself the day before she got there and who now had the full benefit of Baby Suggs’ bounty and her big old heart.”
This is describing Sethe saying that although she was young, she was very skilled at her age. She was even able to deliver her own children by herself.
