4
« on: Thursday 02 September 10 01:38 BST (UK) »
Hello there, I found all these stories really sad and feel for the relatives who are upset by the revelations of their research.
I too feel sad about one of my great uncles. My Grandmother gave birth to triplets at home in the 1920's. The first child was born with the umbilical cord around his neck. The inexperienced midwife removed the cord, pronounced the child dead and moved on to the next child about to be born. The two remaining children, identical twins survived but the first child who was also identical to them sadly did die because he had not been helped at birth. My Grandmother was a very experienced nurse and she repeatedly told the midwife to see to the first child, clear his airways etc. The midwife refused convinced the child was still born. Later postmortem revealed that the first child though full term and a good weight and extremely healthy, had mucos in his throat preventing him breathing. If the midwife had done what grandma had said, that child would have survived with his brothers.
In those days it was just accepted as an accident of birth. These days the mother would have sued the backside off the midwife.
Even back then grandma held the child and had him christened before burial. I have often thought about how he would have been if he had lived and how as an identical triplet life would've been for him and his brothers.
Pennine