AllieBaba
Rookie
- Oct 2, 2007
- 33,778
- 3,927
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- Banned
- #21
Childbirth is still a risky and deadly propositiion, and women still die from it. I almost died miscarrying my fifth child at 6-1/2 months, and had a couple of very tense deliveries.
My mom was the youngest of 11 chidlren. I always wanted at least 5. Of course, I wanted them all with one man, which wasn't in the cards for me. All of my grandmother's children lived, as did all of her siblings. My grandfather was one of many, and all of his siblings lived (Hungarian immigrants at the turn of the century). He did break his back at 14 while throwing firecrackers at people walking by on the street while he was on the roof of their harness shop.
My mother grew up in the coastal mountains, her oldest brother was 20 when she was born, and she had one cnephew who was older than she was. My grandmother never worked outside of the home....but my grandfather worked inthe woods and had a small sawmill. For a while he ran a still, until the feds came and tok him away to prison for 6 months...during which time my grandmother fed the family by taking eggs and milk (on horseback) to the nearest town and selling them at the store. My aunties gathered fern and other greenery and also sold them....I don't know who their go-between was, but florists buy them. They did that until they were old ladies.
I would have loved to have many children. None of my mom's siblings died. I'm so happy I have my younger children, they've been such a joy to the whole family...and the family was so skeptical because of who their father was, and concerned about how they would turn out (I have a blind spot for men and telephone companies. I can't seem to figure them out, so I've written them both off). But they have turned out to be the treasure of my family.
Birth control has undboutedly saved untold misery among many women. But I would have happily had a baby a year for 20 years, if I could have lived the way my grandma did. There is nothing in the world so joyful as a big family.
My mom was the youngest of 11 chidlren. I always wanted at least 5. Of course, I wanted them all with one man, which wasn't in the cards for me. All of my grandmother's children lived, as did all of her siblings. My grandfather was one of many, and all of his siblings lived (Hungarian immigrants at the turn of the century). He did break his back at 14 while throwing firecrackers at people walking by on the street while he was on the roof of their harness shop.
My mother grew up in the coastal mountains, her oldest brother was 20 when she was born, and she had one cnephew who was older than she was. My grandmother never worked outside of the home....but my grandfather worked inthe woods and had a small sawmill. For a while he ran a still, until the feds came and tok him away to prison for 6 months...during which time my grandmother fed the family by taking eggs and milk (on horseback) to the nearest town and selling them at the store. My aunties gathered fern and other greenery and also sold them....I don't know who their go-between was, but florists buy them. They did that until they were old ladies.
I would have loved to have many children. None of my mom's siblings died. I'm so happy I have my younger children, they've been such a joy to the whole family...and the family was so skeptical because of who their father was, and concerned about how they would turn out (I have a blind spot for men and telephone companies. I can't seem to figure them out, so I've written them both off). But they have turned out to be the treasure of my family.
Birth control has undboutedly saved untold misery among many women. But I would have happily had a baby a year for 20 years, if I could have lived the way my grandma did. There is nothing in the world so joyful as a big family.