It's amazing what you find out!! - One woman's birth stories from the 1920s

Hello Everyone, I hope you have all had a lovely Christmas.

Sorry if this isn't the right place but I thought i would share something with you. We have had my gran up for the past week, and somehow we got onto the subject of children and childbirth etc etc and she told me about her mother's experiences when she had my gran and the four siblings before her. Now my gran was born in 1928 and the following all occurred within the period 1922-28! Enough to make you cringe if you ask me.

First pregnancy - overdue, 11lb 2oz stillborn baby boy, dragged out and apparently fractured great gran's pelvic bones

Second pregnancy - delivery of my 7lb great aunt, born not breathing and given to great gran with the words 'quickly before we get on, have a hug goodbye', to which she rubbed the little girl so hard on her back that she started to breathe (and is now 88 years old!)

third pregnancy - a boy, arm delivered first, so they CUT IT OFF!!! resulted in death of the baby.

fourth pregnancy - another boy, poor great gran left too long in pushing stage and they reckoned at the time he suffocated in the birth canal (but i would probably think cord round neck?)

fifth pregnancy - My Gran - was finally a section, cut straight down the front of the belly, so deep that my gran carries a scar all the way down her forearm and on her top lip. She had two black eyes as well after delivery and muscle damage to her other arm. The section scar was so horribly folded in that in later years gran would part the flapping skin to clean it for her mother!

Apparently the surgeon who performed the section was later struck off for being drunk on duty on numerous occasions!

To say I was shocked was an understatement! We have come a long way in my gran's lifetime!!

Re: It's amazing what you find out!!

OMG!!! I'm glad we have come so far!!!

Re: It's amazing what you find out!!

Wow your gran went through a lot!!! Amazing how far we have come Xx

Re: It's amazing what you find out!!

I never met my great gran, but my mum says she was an amazingly happy woman, but she suffered great pains during periods and the like as she got older, I cant imagine what her poor insides looked like. I have seen pictures of her and she was always smiling, made of strong stock i think!