Debbie's arrival

    I continued working for the Tax Department until about the seventh month. I had changed my health-care doctors to the Railway Clinic since Mel was working as the Railway Photographer and as such he and  his family were entitled to full medical care. The Doctor to whom I was assigned was Dr. Drummond, an unmarried  man who proved to be averse to pregnant women. During the last few weeks of my pregnancy I started to faint quite often, and since I had a  history of anemia I asked if he would take a blood test which he refused to do stating, "I'm tired of pregnant women, they always think there is something wrong with them." So, I went on fainting and did not ask again. When  eventually I went into labour, Dr. Drummond just happened to be too ill to attend
me, and I honestly feel it may have been an act of God. Dr. Smith, the chief doctor in the clinic, took Dr.D's place. In the maternity hospital the pains became so severe that I could not help crying out and one of the midwives came into the ward and gave me a very sharp slap on my behind and told me to shut up. She had never  had any babies!!! When I was eventually taken into the labour ward it was 11.00 at night. Dr. Smith was in attendance. I tried and tried to give birth, but nothing was happening. At 5.00 a.m. I said, "I can't go any further!" Dr. Smith said, "I think she has had enough," and immediately anaesthetised me, and the next ting I knew I was back in my bed. Dr. Smith came in and said, "You have a beautiful little girl, but she is very tired so we are keeping her in the nursery for a while." He also told me they had called in the gynie who saw at once that Deb was in the posterior position. She was trying to be born face first.  I have since found that such a birth usually resulted in the death of either the mother or the baby, and sometimes both of them. She was taken with forceps. I did not see her for two days. Dr. Smith came in the day after she was born and said, "Your baby is doing fine but I do not like the looks of you, we are going to take  some blood." Next thing I knew they were injecting me with iron. Nnext day he said, "I really don't like the way you look, but your baby is doing very well." They took more blood and he came in again and said, You must have been @!#&*anaemic, so we are going to give you two pints of blood. As soon as I felt the life-giving flow I started to feel better. I told Dr. Smith I had suspected it  before Deb was born but that Dr. D had refused to take a blood test -- and left it at that. (I made sure I never allowed that  man to attend me again). The day I had the infusion of blood I saw Deb for the very first time. She was so sweet that the nurses (all of them were certified midwives) loved her and would come in when I was feeding her (by bottle because she didn't want to know about any other way of feeding and I was so engorged that the pain was unbearable), and they would beg me to let them hold her and feed her. Such has been our lovely daughter ever since. She just evokes love and when she was tiny every little girl in church would fight to hold her. She was the congregation's baby!