Stories of birth

My daughter will probably not have children. I’ve told her and my two sons that I had dreadful pregnancies but giving birth was like shelling peas. Four hour Labour for the first, six hours for the second and two hours for the third. With number two I had quite an audience. A medical student needed to deliver one more baby for his baby delivering badge; he had to be accompanied by the chief midwife. Two or three obstetric nurses asked if they could observe and a couple of trainee midwives were there too. I could have refused but the JR in Oxford is a teaching hospital!

I told my daughters what mum told me.

It hurts, you heal, you have a sweet baby (or two).

Mum was correct.

I had a rough time with DD1, but when I queried an epidural in ‘83 for DD2, I was told my hospital didn’t do them!

MerylStreep At various times in my second pregnancy I was given three different due dates, spread over 2 months. I decided which date I favoured and stuck to it, and she arrived at about 1.30am on that date.

One one and only pregnancy was an odd one.
Due date given was 22nd of December. All was well but nothing happening.
Christmas came and went, nothing. January came so they took me in to try and turn her ( breach) they thought that might start thins off. They couldn’t, and nothing happened 😱
At the beginning of February they took me in again to monitor what was happening.
Finally on the 3rd of February they broke my waters and 26 hrs later she finally made an appearance, phew 😂
No one could give an explanation only that she wasn’t ready.

It is one of DD3's claims to fame that she was almost born in an ambliance.

before scans in '68...doctor said very big possibly twins, baby was 6 and a half pounds!.. midwife was older lady and on her own in the night with me, gave me confidence.

second child horrendence pain with two nurses ho couldn't care less until gave birth and baby was sunny side up 'facing up' and more dead than alive at 4 pounds full term incubator in special care for few weeks. survived thankfully

I felt that nobody had warned me how awful it would be, particularly my mother who, in spite of having a forceps delivery with my elder brother, implied that childbirth was nothing much. Having my first child (induced) was a terrible shock for me, and haunted me for at least six months. The gynaecologist, a lovely man whom I adored, had been worried that the baby was small. Well, he was wrong there - he was 9lbs 6oz!

For my next child I insisted on an epidural. What heaven. I actually enjoyed his birth. He was only just under 8lbs, so maybe it would have been easier anyway. I only went through birth for this second time because I wanted a girl, which I didn’t get. However, he has been an absolute joy (mostly!) and also provided me with a granddaughter.

Hele63 My first labour was 'eventful' including discovering someway in, when it was all pain and no action, that a close neighbour had been killed in a major air accident that happened the day before I was admitted and, yes, I do remember it in a lot of detail because it included events like that, plus being moved from the local to the district hospital halfway through and other features.

I remember DDs birth because everything happened so quickly, there was nothing to remember, which made it memorable, if you see what I mean.

My fifth child had a very traumatic birth. Well, he was ok but I wasn't! Planned section, sterilised, stitched up, haemorrhaged, back to theatre, general anaesthetic, surgeon couldn't stop bleeding, emergency hysterectomy, came round on Intensive care on a ventilator having had 14 units of blood. Good recovery. Child is wonderful- now 27.

Our DD knows about her birth as not only was DH with me but her Godmother also, it was a bit like an old time comedy farce at times.

Thank goodness for epidural pain relief…

The DS’s are not overly interested but they know a few basic details, they were more interested once they had their own babies.

The GC all know about their births, even the two little ones.

There was a wonderful tv series (and book) called Labour of Love that had an episode about birth. I was thinking that now I’m retired I could duplicate the record of such experiences of women today who birthed many years past. What do you all think?

Farmor15 Did you keep the article from the paper? What a wonderful record.

Not really except one of them popped her head out during visiting hours on the ward and the nurses didn’t believe me so my husband had to drag them over to me. I told my daughter about that. Not a good hospital, hope it has improved now and dealt with the cockroach problem it had in the 1970s!

No more than to periodically remind my daughter that she like me is rhesus- and if she has more than one child she needs to be aware of the blood groups. It is very important to be aware of theses things. Although “ blue babies” are not really heard of now mistakes do happen.

My mother told me about my birth and also wrote about it in an article for a newspaper! She had got interested in "painless" childbirth (emphasis on relaxation and breathing) which was becoming popular in the early 1950s and wanted to share her experience.
I think my birth must have been relatively fast and easy. Interestingly my own 5 were easy births and both daughters also had fairly rapid labours. One grandchild has already been told the story of his birth as he was born on bedroom floor, delivered by his dad- not a planned home birth!

Only occasionally, and the funny bits mostly. I don't think they want to hear the gory details really. Daughters might, but I have sons.

When I was in the early stages of ‘delivery’, of my first, my sweet Aunty E , came to me and said ‘don’t scream too much’ - ‘you won’t have any voice left, for later, when the pain gets really bad’. 😂 Thankyou Aunty E - that really made my day - NOT !!!

I had to tell my DD's about their births, DH 's family had a genetic problem that had to be monitored and my mother had had the same problems as I had with my first. So they had to be aware as they were asked at the hospital when they first visited.
I think in some ways things were more open in the past I knew that someone had been born down a toilet !!!!

I have boys they know one was an emergency caesarian and one wasnt. I haven't described the midwife and the consultant arguing over my head and the fact that thankfully the consultant 'won' and therefore saved my childs life.

Only very basics, e.g. induced for dd2. I certainly wouldn’t give any off-putting details.

For her 3rd baby, a dd had a relatively easy water birth, the last stage of which was filmed by her dh from over her shoulder. Gdcs of then coming up to 4 and 5 were able to be shown their baby sibling arriving very calmly into the world - she didn’t even cry.
They’d already been told the very basics, so I thought it was a lovely idea - they were very interested to see it.

Helen63. Welcome!
It helps if you name the person to whom your comments are addressed. Use asterisks at the beginning and end of the name to make the letters bold.

Sorry I’m a new retiree and haven’t really got the swing of replying and writing on here. My first comment was for Bluebelle and the second for M0nica. Are they seen as replies? 😂😳

That sounds like an interesting story, what really interests me is what is remembered strongly enough to be included in the stories.

You’ve spiked my interest now, what happened?