Birthdays

On the day I was born Elvis Presley had the both the UK top single with “Good Luck Charm” and the UK top album with “Blue Hawaii (OST)”.

Thanks to Alistair for the link. Nine days later and Blue Hawaii had been knocked off the top.

I don’t know if my mother considered me a good luck charm or not; I was the only child to wake her so I could be born at 8 am. I prefer to think of it as I was the only child who let her get some sleep, though no doubt she got some sleep after giving birth to my brother, who was born just after midnight.

I was also the only one to give her pain during the delivery. She used to tell a story about child number two: She was in the hospital and everything was happening and she felt a big blow-off (fart) coming. She was so embarrassed about it, with all the action happening in that vicinity, that she just closed her eyes and let rip. She was shocked to be told, “Congratulations, you have a son.” Apparently, the doctor was due to leave for China (or somewhere) the next day to study painless childbirth.

My mother wasn’t conventional about giving birth. With child number one she had seen the doctor who told her it would be at least two weeks away because certain things hadn’t happened. She disagreed and gave birth the next morning. I don’t know how much warning she had with child number two, or child number three (me) but my father was away working for the first two and his sister took Mum to hospital. When Mum told Day she was having a baby he didn’t know what to do and spoke to his sister, Peggy. He was expecting all the hours of labour that three of his sisters had gone through. Peggy said, “John, if June says she’s having a baby, then she’s having a baby. Get her to the hospital now!” When they got to the hospital she told him, “Okay, you can go now.” She didn’t want him waiting around, which is such a different attitude from today.

When I start telling the childbirth stories to pregnant women they expect to hear a horror story. I must have a bad reputation with humour, or something. I’m not totally stupid with my jokes; I know pregnancy makes women lose their sense of humour.

Somewhere during the delivery I caused her two pains. Since then my brothers and I caused a lot more, but that’s part of growing up.