Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Doctor, Anyone?

Hey, Y'all,
Well, now, here is a question for you....do you realize that we are pronounced living by a doctor when we are born, and must be legally pronounced dead by a doctor for the death  certificate to be valid? When we, as children, show signs of serious illness, Mama takes us to see...the doctor. As we grow older and begin to care for ourselves, the doctor continues in his (uh, her, sorry, didn't mean to be sexist here) importance to our well-being. Wonder if that is why they command such salaries? Must be. (But that is beside the point and not really intended in my soliloquy.)


I was going to tell some doctor stories that I know, and I will just a few, but please know that I have a lot more of them than I can relate today (trying to keep it short enough to be reasonably read in our present Challenge). 


This one, I will tell, though. Each of my four brothers and one sister and myself were born at home. Back in the 1920's and 1930's when we showed our little faces for the first time in this world, very few women went to the hospital to bear their children. That is, those who were struggling just to make a living, as my parents were, did not. Each of my brothers and my sister, and I, were good-sized babies, the smallest being around 9 pounds and each successive one being larger. The doctor, upon delivering me (the fifth one), pronounced me as being 14 pounds, and then nearly three years later, my youngest brother, John, as weighing 17 pounds. He had delivered numerous babies and knew weights the way a butcher who works in a meat market would. 


Now, when my brother, John, was born, my mother was torn internally, and the doctor pronounced that there was no need to do any stitching because she was going to die, anyway. Well, my mother was made of stronger stuff than the doctor knew, and lived another 36 years and worked in a hosiery mill, standing up, operating three machines for 26 of them. 


One of my favorite television shows is "House" which, as most of you know, is about an eccentric doctor who is a genius at determining the cause of illnesses, but is a disaster when it comes to personal relationships. There are all kinds of doctors, and like most people I have had some really great experiences with them, as well as some horrible ones as well. More I will save for another day. Thanks for listening. 


This is Blabbin' Grammy signing off for today. Please feel free to share any experiences you might have had. Much love to each of you, my friends and family. Bye for now. More later.

23 comments:

RosieC said...

Wow, your mother really must have been made of solid stuff. I cringe at the thought of an 11 lb. baby, but 17? Holy cow!

Rosie
East for Green Eyes

The Yard Bard said...

All of my insides lurched at the thought of a seventeen-pound baby. I must thank my son for weighing in at seven and change...

Marjorie said...

Babies that size are usually the result of gestational diabetes. I wonder if your mother developed it. I'm sure glad the doc was wrong about your mother dying. Your posts are always a pleasure to read, Ruby.

Grammy said...

Yes, Mom did develop diabetes in her later years, but it was considered borderline diabetes, and two of my siblings wound up with type 2 diabetes in later years. Mom took Orinase tablets for hers.

RHYTHM AND RHYME said...

Hi Ruby what a size for a baby? my grandmother-in- law had 22 children I am so pleased her grandson(my husband) didn't follow her example.

Yvonne.

Unknown said...

11 lb baby and no stiches.. och... I am amazed by your stories.. and wish you lived next door to tell me more.. in person.. I also.. have heard about House but never watched it maybe you will inspire me to watch LOL

Candyland said...

Oh my Lord!!! Your Mom was TOUGH! I can't imagine what it'd have been like to deliver in those days. Thanks goodness times have changed or I'd have been dead.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Wow, can't believe the doctor did nothing! Your mother was a tough woman.

Hannah said...

Yeah, like all professions, there are plenty of bad ones and good ones. I've had a little of both so far.

Golden Eagle said...

Your mom certainly was tough! Wow.

Tiger85 said...

Wow 17 lbs. I can't even imagine that. Your mom was a strong woman. My son was 6 lbs. 11 oz. and I had a horrible time with the birth. My epidural fell out, so I had a natural birth and he came out scratching me all the way out. He cut my artery and the Doctor caught it in time thank God. =)

http://tigeronmybookshelf.blogspot.com/

Lorena G. Sims said...

17 lbs, Wow! and the Doctor did nothing but told her that she'll die anyway. Oh my goodness!

Ellen said...

I love hearing about the "simpleness" of life in years past. In a way, we are seeing more babies born at home with midwives. My family and I are embracing the simpler times with raised-bed gardening and a more simpler lifestyle. Thanks for visiting me at A Season for All Things. I'm your newest follower and look forward to reading more of your posts. ~ Ellen

Hart Johnson said...

What a fabulous tale about your mother's triumph--that will show those dumb doctors! It's funny how content most people are to just turn it all over to the doctors. I actually WORK for a doctor as a researcher, so my colleagues are very biased, but I think eastern medicine and home made smarts could teach em quite a lot.

Margaret Hall said...

Unreal to have a 17 # baby and go on and live such a full life~!! You children were a quite healthy and sturdy group, huh?...Loved the story about all your thoughts of Doctors..and House...House is House, but I love him~!
Thanks for bringing us such a wonderful blogging for "D"..
See you for "E"????

http://timeforabucketlist.blogspot.com/
http://imagesinthought.blogspot.com/
http://the-old-story-tree.blogspot.com/
http://bagladythoughts.blogspot.com/

Margo Kelly said...

I'm a new follower from the A-Z challenge. Nice to meet you!

Laura M. Campbell said...

It sounds like you and your siblings are solid individuals. I stay away from doctors on account of no insurance. So, the doctor duty is on my shoulders. I stay very healthy and learned to self diagnose real fast. Good luck with the challenge!

Cathy said...

What a great post. Your mom was one amazing lady ... seems her daughter follows in her footsteps!

Grammy said...

thanks all of you, for your charming and sympathetic comments. My mom was, indeed, a very strong woman. I pale in comparison to her, really. I like to think that I am strong, but she was much better than I.
Ruby

Unknown said...

Amazing stuff. Fitting D post for me to read - I have just taken my daughter to the doctor for the first time in ages.

Dannelore said...

This post reminds me of my grandmother. Her second child was born with a serious heart condition and never made it out of the ICU. They told my grandmother she would not be able to have anymore children, or it would be fatal for either her or the baby. She went on to have three perfectly healthy children without any complications!

Unknown said...

I'm glad the practice of medicine has come such a long way since your mother (God bless her) gave birth to such huge babies that the doctor could even think they were the size of large Christmas turkeys. I'm assuming he was off by a couple/three pounds. Fascinating story, Grammy.

You have gained a faithful follower...you are such a doll.

Tori Cooper said...

Wowser... one tough lady! Speaking of home birth, we are looking into that option... mostly because I'm not crazy about hospitals. Grammy, these stories were quite facinating... I love hearing about your "growing up" days!