Your mothers' take on motherhood.

I born at 2am, at home. The whole family used to talk about the night I made my rather sudden and dramatic entrance into the world, helped by the district nurse. I’m rather sorry I can’t remember it

Oh gosh, yes! My mother often reminded me that it took her 48 hours to push me into the world, how the first one paved the way, got a bit squashed in the process and that’s why my brother, who came next, was easy to pop out and better looking! I think she was joking. We are very alike.

When I went into labour, my Mum enlisted the help of her sister, my Aunt Ethel. She came to my room where I was crying out in pain and she says “ H, stop screaming, this pain is nothing compared to what you will be having later - it will get worse” ? I’m surprised I went on to have 2 more children

I was born on a very snowy and cold January day at 5pm home. My Mums sister was a nurse during the war and she helped her as midwife was stuck in snow, my brother had come home from school and was asked if he wanted to meet his new baby sister - he said no Crackerjack was on.

I was Mum's fourth baby so it must have been like falling off a log for her by then, because she used to laugh and say, "I remember the night you were born because Arthur Askey was on the telly!"

My mother tried to have both myself and my brother at home, in the 60's. Both times she had to go into hospital and have forceps deliveries. Didn't breast feed either of us. She complained we bit her.

I think second children were always born at home, here
I wonder if it varies according to location?

People did get taken to hospital if things got too bad, but I think those midwives had most responsibility.

Perhaps it's U and unU?

My mother said childbirth was terrible, so she wasn't planning to do it again. I am an only child....?

DH was a breech birth. He was born at home (well his grandfather's home) with an old Italian midwife. She propped up the end of the bed with books to try and slow down the birth. Suffice to say that MiL never had another baby.

I was born in one of the local hospitals. No husbands allowed of course and my mother said she was left in a room on her own for hours. She eventually called for help because she thought the birth was imminent and got into trouble for not calling anyone earlier! When my father came to visit they showed him the wrong baby!

I can remember the phrase "Out you go, father!" being mentioned.

I was the first child and was born at home. Mum's friend was a midwife so she came to help. Apparently it was the hottest day of the year and when I was born my dad went out to tell the the neighbours that I'd arrived. Mum could hear the cheers as she held me for the first time. She told me I was born with hair that looked like it had been 'flashed'...by which she meant highlighted blonde.

Dad was given the afterbirth to take away and didn't know what to do with it so he put it on a bonfire in the garden.

Yes, I was first and born in hospital. Brother three years later at home delivered by a midwife. I have a very clear memory of her cycling away leaving this tiny new baby in a blue wicker crib and the gas and air tanks propped against the wall waiting for collection. Number three, my sister, different father, was born in hospital as there were rhesus complications. I remember asking my mother why she had her slippers on the bedside cabinet. She said it was because the ward was infested with cockroaches so if she needed to get up to feed baby in the night ... eek.

My mum was of the opinion that having a baby was akin to shelling peas. ?‍♀️ I was supposed to be born at home but her own GP was on holiday and the locum sent mum to hospital because he felt that I’d be very small. All 9lb 8lbs of me.

My younger bro was born at home after a 90min labour, I’m told. Sadly, the rapid birth genes didn’t pass down to me!

At home with the midwife, my poor mum was 40 and I was her first (and last) baby! I think she had some problems as the doctor had to be called.

I’m the youngest of 5 so I guess my mother was an expert by then

My mother was 22 when she had me she told me she was left in her room all on her own and she didn’t even have any idea where the baby would come out!! ?‍♀️

This was in the maternity hospital by the way

That's shocking!

I was born at the end of the war in a nursing home in a town about two hours away no idea how she got there as we didn’t have a car and I never thought to ask train I guess my school friend was born a month after me at the same nursing home so I m guessing that was an outreach for our town I don’t know anything about my birth but my Nan told me when she had mum which was 1922 she was given something called twilight sleep I guess it was a light anaesthetic she said she knew nothing about the birth

My mother was in a small hospital where she had been a nurse when I made an unexpected appearance. She did not know she was expecting twins and when the first baby was born, she was still born , as had my parent's previous baby. Suddenly the doctor said " oh there is another one here " and I popped out . My mother and I both had rhesus negative blood which can be a problem so perhaps the others were rhesus positive. My father took one look at me and said " you'll never raise that " . That set the tone for our relationship until he died when I was 12. I do not have one happy memory of him . My mother was lovely and loved by everyone. How I wish my twin sister had lived wehat a difference it would have made to my life. I managed to get the still born certificates for my siblings ( in Scotland ) which were not pleasant reading . Sadly neither had been given a name and had my mother still been alive we would have named them . I have not found my brother's grave but found my sister's . She is in the same cemetary as my father but an unmarked grave.

All 5 of us were born at home and I don’t ever remember my Mum talking about it to me or about giving birth in general. She was 40 when she had her youngest my brother I was 4+ and don’t even remember him being born.

I ve just been reading up on Twilight Sleep and it sounds brutal and may explain why my Nan ended up with a very bad prolapse

I can remember an almost magical air when going to see my Aunt and her new baby.
Both in white cotton nightshirt, like some mystical beings...