h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Having a mid-life crisis now in ernest.

31st December 1996 saw me have a ginormous breakfast, jump in my trusty mini (accompanied by ) and drove to the hospital where a stuck me full of needles and then... I waited. Finished reading the book I was about to finish (The Robe - highly recommended) and did a bit of crocheting (a baby blanket) and then went into labour at about 2pm. She was born at about 16:30 to the sound of Celine Dion (MY. EARS. ARE. STILL. BLEEDING.) because forgot to bring CDs to the delivery room and then wouldn't go and get them (2 minutes, max) in case he "missed something" () I had to have the 1 CD the midwife had. Celine. Bloody. Dion. Never could stand that catterwauling.

had to go home (the hospital don't like overnight visitors) and so #1 and I looked at the fireworks over Heinsberg at midnight and then I went to sleep (she was in the nursery - they only have one baby a day in that hospital so there were 4 nurses looking after 6 babies).

Here (not sure if it's like that now, actually) for a regular normal uncomplicated birth, they keep you and the baby in hospital for 5 days, so we had a bit of time to get to know each other, and for the nurses to have serious curly babies* watching me try to change, dress** and wash her. They were excellent, however, with the breastfeeding support.



* a term I picked up at school and it means a huge fit of laughter

** they provide all clothes and nappies and everything you need for a newborn in German hospotals. All you need to bring is a going home outfit.

31st December 1996 saw me stroking my belly and saying 'OK, well done, you missed Christmas, now get on with it' to Nod. Who turned up on 4 Jan.

Shall we midlife crisis together?!



Mol

On December 31st 1984 my mother had her first contractions. My parents were on holidays, visiting relatives. They drove home as fast as possible and mum spent the next 3 months lying in hospital, getting medication until I was born about 4 weeks too early in March 1985.
I was told she read The Lord of the Rings during that time.

Now I feel *really* old, I was the same age my oldest daughter is now, in 1985!



Mol

I was just one semester away from graduating high school on New Years 1985.

Happy Birthday to Gruesome 1!!

I was barely out of nappies in 1985...

I was in the army in 1985...

Mol - how is our midlife crisis going to manifest itself? Toyboys? (I currently have my eye on one...)

Congrats to Gruesome #1 - who could of easily have been my granddaughter - now wouldn't that have been fun?

hehe - I could be her granny, too... actually when she was a baby people sometimes asked me that, even though I was in my early 30s.

Happy Birthday to the young 'un. I prefer to not say where or I was, or what I was doing, in '96 or or '85. It would make me feel too

I was thinking more along the lines of alcohol and chocolate. A toyboy would involve effort, and probably energy-sapping nookie.

Mol

Happy Birthday from me too.

At New Year 1981/82, it had been snowing, freezing and thawing alternately for what seems like four weeks. I was balancing my nine-month-old bump along on 18" of frozen snow. Due date was 3 Jan, IIRC. School started, and hubby had to go back to work. I hoped things wouldn't start while he was away. Under normal circumstances, the hospital was in easy walking distance, but no one would let me walk through that ice. I was still wearing quite high heels and all, having only just stopped work a few weeks beforehand, and still only owning office clothes and a couple of maternity dresses.

I crunched through the snow a few times to do some shopping, post office, etc., probably risking quite a lot, now I think about it. Baby was finally induced on 15 Jan. (He's still not too good at punctuality, 31 years on.)

In the end I had a general anaesthetic and was kept in for 10 days.

10 days?!

That would bankrupt most new mothers here in the States.

Happy Birthday elder gruesome!

New Years Eves throughout my life have frequently been disastrous. The most vivid one is probably 31.12.94, which was spent in casualty with my youngest, then aged 18 months, who was having febrile convulsions.

I don't plan to do anything more adventurous than stay indoors with a bottle of cava tonight

blimey, Bea, that sounds terrible.

BG - that's the advantage of socialised medicine. We can be treated when we need it