Do you have an interesting family birth story?

[Mumof2IVFmiracles]

Hi all

My mother loves to tell how her mother (my Nana) was born very premature in the year 1900. The doctor was convinced she would not survive and simply tossed her aside saying 'focus on the next pregnancy.'

However my Great Great Grandmother was Irish and not about to take that for an answer. She wrapped her tiny granddaughter in cotton wool (yes literally), placed her in a basket by the fire to keep her warm, and fed her on expressed breast milk and brandy from an eye dropper (!).

When the doctor arrived to deliver the next baby he went down the line naming all the children he had delivered. When he came to my grandmother he said, 'and who is this?' Great Great Grandmama the Irishman took great pleasure in telling him!

My Nana went on to give birth to three children of her own... who in turn had eight children (of which I am one)... who in turn had 17 children (including my two girls) ... all of whom probably would not have existed were it not for my Great Great Grandmama and her wise-woman ways (...and her hip flask of brandy ;c).

This is just one of many birth stories in my family. What is the history (or HERstory) of birth in your family? Do you have an interesting family birth story you'd like to share?

Regards
Yvette