Your mothers' take on motherhood.

I'm the eldest of 3. In the 50s you had your 1st in hospital and, all being well , subsequent babies at home.
Unfortunately, although only 8-6 , I got well and truly jammed and was dragged out with forceps , badly cutting above my eyelid.
This difficult delivery resulted in Mum having to have my brother in hospital. He was 2 weeks early , only 7 pounds and popped out easily .
So , third time round, allowed a home delivery in a tiny downstairs flat , Mum tried to deliver my 9 pound baby sister. This bigger baby got stuck again.
Our very young and very inexperienced GP arrived with the forceps and told Dad to choose which one he saved !!!
Thankfully both Mum and baby were safely delivered by this wonderful man who became a lifelong family friend , even visiting my dying Dad regularly some 60 years later , when they were both old men !
My sister was delivered with rather a pointed head as a result of this procedure.
When 4 year old me met her I immediately wanted to call her Noddy because of her pointed head !!
My parents decided to veto this and thought Gillian a better choice.
Probably wise.

My mother had traumatic home delivery in the 50s and was rushed into hospital hours after I was born with very bad haemorrhaging. I suspect she had placenta praeva, which I had with my first. So no siblings for me but a succession of relatives who looked after me, when we came home.
It didn't put me off wanting a family and I have two children and a 1940/50's name after the daughter of her main help an aunt called Doris. My dad put his foot down on the Doris which I always thank him for but the one they gave me certainly puts me in a bracket.
She kept nothing from me so I always knew all the details.

When my mother had me (in hospital) her mother and aunt were the first visitors. Just after they arrived my father came. The sister wouldn't allow him into the ward because my mum already had 2 visitors and that was plenty. He had to wait until the next day to see me...
I had 3 backache labour's. They were horrendous - dreadful pains down my legs as well. The doctor used forceps before the epidural top up took effect and I thought he'd torn my body apart. Later, I discovered that he'd ripped all my posterior muscles.

*labours

I was born in the local maternity hospital just after midnight. The doctor had to be sent for and she arrived wearing an evening dress and evening gloves!

Mum (small, ginger haired, pale skinned, lots of freckles) went to the local maternity home but they couldn't deliver me so sent her to Manchester Royal and I was breach and she said the Doctor was the biggest, tallest, African man she had ever seen (back in 61) and he was so kind and had her laughing so much she never forgot him.

Dad was working away and was told to return home as I was on my way. He had to drive through the centre of Manchester - pre M6 - and claimed to be doing 50mph along Picadilly...
He arrived home shortly before I was born and the 'midwife' (Mrs Evans
from next door) was more concerned about making sure the father to be had a cup of tea than my imminent arrival!

Apparently I was breach birth and quite jaundiced. Went into an incubator and my mother didn’t see me for three days. Explains a lot about our relationship tbh.

Myself and my younger brother were born in hospital. In 1963 my mother went into early labour. My father called from a phone box. The ambulance went to the wrong address. My 23 year old father delivered the baby boy, David. The ambulance took my mother straight to hospital as she had postpartum haemorrhage. My father was left holding a very sick baby who died a few days later from a hole in the heart.

We were born in 1960 and 1961. We were never told about David. We were sat at the dining table and my father mentioned David and we said "who". This happened when my brother and I were teenagers.

That’s so sad, Snorkel. I recently came across an old newspaper death notice for an older brother of my father-in-law, who died as an infant. I wonder if DFIL was ever told about him.

She told me my birth was an awful never to be repeated experience and she didn’t! When I found myself pregnant with my DD I was terrified!

My mother told me she tried gin and a hot bath when she found herself pregnant with me .... not a great start!

Luckygirl13 That's even worse than me being told that my dad said that they could always try again when mum had another girl. Apparently she cried with disappointment.
Why did they need to tell us?

Why indeed!?