MAGICAL MOMENT

My greatest magical moment was when I gave birth to my only child in 1961 when I was 23 years old.I was residing in a home for unmarried mothers in Northampton at the time. I remember feeling anxious, agitated and fearful about the impending experience of giving birth. I had it fixed in my mind that I would not dwell on the matter until I reached my forecasted date of birthing, to allay my fears. Fortunately, my baby decided to make it's presance known 9 days early.

I went to bed early that night as I was feeling extremely tired and woke up at 4-40 am., with a gigantic pain that seared my swollen body from head to toe. After the pain had subsided, I got up and went and wakened the Matron. When I told her that I thought I was in labour, she said 'Think girl, don't you know?'. I was baffled by this question, as I did not know if indeed I was in labour, as I had never experienced it before. She took me to the labour suite and examined me, then without a word she immediately left me on my own.Apparently she had gone to telephone the mid-wife who lived nearby.
When the Matron reappeared, she informed me that I was in an advanced stage of labour and there was no time to shave my genital area or give me an enaema. At 7-15am., I had a second pain even more agonising rip through me and clutched the bed rail at my head. I was told to puh mightily, which I did, then came a moment when I thought I was going to tear myself, si I lightened up on the pushing. I told the mid-wife I couldn't push any harder. My baby made it's arrival into the world, crying lustily - it was a girl. 20 minutes later the placenta arrived, I thought that was the worst moments of the whole experience as it came slithering and sliding out.
It was indeed a magical time giving birth to a new being with her whole life stretched before her.