Births are spine tingling events. I told you about my birth in a post. It's too bad that often the person's birth story is not shared with them. I heard my birth story from my Dad but not because he was telling it to me. He was telling others and I happened to be listening.
My two youngest brothers have stories. I was 15 when my youngest brother was born so was part of the story.
My third brother was born in the old wooden shack we lived in. He was born in February which is a brutal winter month. Roads were poor at the time and there was no snow removal so all winter travel was by horses. Somebody brought the doctor out and the wondrous event began. The event ended with a bit of an emergency. The baby was not breathing. My Mom had some problems that had to be dealt with. When my Mom was stabilized the Doctor put his attention on the infant. The Doctor gave my brother artificial respiration. One puff and my brother began breathing and crying. The Doctor was almost a chain smoker so my Dad always joked that the tobacco breath was what started my brother breathing.
My youngest brother doesn't know this but he was almost born in the car on the highway.
We were taking Mom to the small town with an eight bed hospital. This was well before her due date. Again it was mid February. Open roads at that time were still not reliable. The roads could be blocked with snow for a week or ten days. Roads were gravel. On our way the old Studebaker made a 360 in the middle of the road and continued down the road as if nothing had happened. However, the passengers in the car were pretty stressed. So it's easy to say that this stress could have brought on the birth right there out on the highway. However, about two weeks later Mom came home with our new baby brother.
Later on my brother became the director of nursing in the little hospital he was born in. And he looked up the records on his birth.
Having babies in February in a Saskatchewan winter was not what I would have called good family planning! Better to have them in September or October - anticipating schooling.
ReplyDeleteOkay , but Sept and Oct. are harvest months so the women played an important role at that time. Ya can't win.
DeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI can not imagine having a baby born in a car. I am glad your mother made it to the hospital in time. I never heard my birth story.
Take care, have a great day and happy week ahead.
I can't imagine birth in a car but it does happen
DeleteGreat stories from a rural region that wouldn't happen that way in an urban area.
ReplyDeleteIt was a very different lifestyle in those days.
DeleteSome interesting birth stories there Red. Women who don't live close to a hospital or midwife sure have it hard. Even in this day and age things can sometimes go wrong and then a medical emergency happens. I tend to worry about women who are giving birth far away from modern services though back in the day they had no choice. Thankfully it all worked out for your mom and the births of your siblings.
ReplyDeleteThere can be many serious problems come up during a birth. Most people don't realize the risks.
DeleteA 360 in the middle of the road during any season would stress me out.
ReplyDeleteWe all just froze.
DeleteI went back to read your Birth Story and that was amazing! $10 for a doctor who didn't do much at all! What a hoot!
ReplyDeleteMy Mom had all 4 of her children in the hospital by Caesarean section. She always had to stay in the hospital for several days afterwards. I think my bill was $300. I had my 5 kids in hospital too but they cost a lot more!!
Many complications can arise during a birth. Here it costs less than my ten dollars. Medical health pays for births.
DeleteYou tell wonderful stories!
ReplyDeletethank you. Stories come in handy when you're a teacher.
DeleteI had forgotten your birth story. When your father told that story was he complaining about the $10? Because that certainly made you quite expensive per pound back then. I love that you remember your brothers' stories well enough to be the teller of them.
ReplyDeleteMy parents talked about these events.
DeleteInteresting story, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI did a 360 in the road once when I was first driving. Scary but I just continued on, unaffected.. I hope that never happens again though.
ReplyDeleteThese are great stories, Red.
a 360 usually results in serious consequences.
DeleteStrangely, I can't remember my birth but I know it was in a woman's home who helped the local doctor with those kind of things.
ReplyDeleteA 360 on the road in winter would be very unpleasant.
ReplyDeleteI was very glad to be in a hospital for the births of both of my kids. You're so right - there are a lot of things that can go wrong.
I can imagine how giving birth was horrible in olden times
ReplyDeleteI feel empathy for your mom honestly!
I enjoyed the birth stories of your younger brothers .
Last line made me laugh spontaneously 😊
Interesting!
ReplyDeleteEvery birth is spine tingling!
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting that in all the many stories ive heard of babies born before arrival at hospital, they've all been free of complications
That's so cool about your brother being able to look up the record of his birth. Well, you know that car story reminds me of my son being born in the hospital elevator with Art delivering him.
ReplyDelete