Mum’s Story — Page 20.
On the evening of March 5th I realised that our baby was about to be born, and in the early hours of the next morning I woke my Father who was to take me to the Nursing Home in Muswell Hill. The wartime blackout was in force, no street lights on and all windows blacked out so no chink of light escaped.
“Hang it out as long as you can” said my Dad. “It will be dark to drive in’.
The pains got worse.
“I’ll just have another cup of tea” said Dad.
Get Chris McCanna’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
‘I don’t think you had better” I replied, and Mother added
“Come on Ceddie” (Dad’s name was Cedric) “there’s no time for that.’
I was getting bothered about our proximity to the kerb as Dad drove. Between pains, that is.
“You get on with your job, and let me worry about the driving!” Dad said. (We got there in time!) At 8.30 on March 6th Barry was born. The next night there was an air-raid, so I got the priest to baptise Barry the following day. The ceremonies would have to wait till I got home (godparents etc.). Barry was a normal weight, around 7 lbs 4 oz, and on leaving the Nursing Home a fortnight later he was 8 lbs; but that last day he heaved back his food. I immediately thought of pyloric stenosis, which three frightening weeks later was diagnosed. By then he had gone down to 6 lbs, and scared us all into wondering if he would live much longer. He would return every feed he took, and at last I saw the unmistakable sign of pyloric stenosis, which is a spasm or tightening of the outlet muscle of the stomach so the food cannot get further. This spasm causes “visible peristalsis”, as I had learnt in my general nursing days. I told the health visitor. After feeding Barry it was possible to see the muscles of his little tummy trying to push the milk on past the stomach — little ripplings beneath his skin. Despite dissuasion from the health woman I had continued to feed Barry, and at Great Ormond Street, where I had to take him on Good Friday to be admitted, they gathered students around and wanted to see this visible peristalsis. Going there on the bus that Good Friday, at 5 weeks old, he smiled at me for the first time! On the Monday he was operated on. Sam had taken leave from the RAF without their knowledge and saw Barry and me for a short time just after we got to the hospital, then he had to hitch-hike back again. I was so very glad to see him. I was able to express milk so Barry could be fed after the operation, and he looked so funny with a big dummy in his little face to make sure he didn’t cry. But he made great headway directly.
The night after the operation there was a raid on London, Red Lion Square was hit by incendiary bombs, and where the previous day I had walked leisurely in the Square and watched a puppy chasing his tail, now there were firemen standing on broken walls and ruins, playing their hoses. we had all been taken into the corridors that night during the bombardment, and the next day as many as possible were sent home including me and Barry, to my great delight, only having to return to have the stitches out. My dear Dad decided that I needed a holiday, war or no war, and some little while after this I went with Barry to a farm where there was also another small baby, born to the farmer’s wife. The baby’s name was Elizabeth Palmer and I know from a photograph I have it was at Ridge Farm, Rowhook, near Horsham in Sussex. it was only a week but it was a much needed change and rest. Early one morning I heard a great noise of cows or bullocks mooing beneath my window, and looking out I found that someone must have left a gate open. The escaped cows were being driven back by the farmer and others. Not wanting to miss the fun, I quickly dressed and went down, but felt rather nervous when confronted by the huge animals. However, it dawned on me as I watched that the cows were much more afraid than I was, as they ran this way and that to the shouts of the folk who were driving them back. So I suddenly became very brave and leapt around shooing the animals with the best of them!
