Living in a new land and awaiting fast approaching Motherhood was a mixture of high hope and anxiety. There was now only one income to support 2+1. Reluctantly, giving up my full-time secretarial job, optimistically, went for a couple of radio auditions with letters of introduction from John and Deryck (who had also got me an agent). Climbed 8 or 9 flights of steps (the lift was not working) to get to one of these auditions. Arriving breathless, the receptionist gave me a cup of tea before the audition. Not a good result, gave up for the time-being.
On some weekdays Adrian’s work colleagues’ young wives visited and drove me around beautiful Sydney to the beach, for picnic lunches. It was Spring, it was hot, the jacarandas,bottlebrush, and native Australian plants were blooming, colourful. Marge (2 months pregnant) had a veteran Ford car and took me on regular visits to her parent’s place in Harbord. The car had to be re-filled with water every few miles. Marge would stop at any house and ask if she could use the hose and water. There appeared to be no shock absorbers to this ancient vehicle. Towards the end of November,Marge took me on a long,most enjoyable excursion in her bumpy car. 29th November, ironed clothes, listened to our new radiogram, napped, prepared dinner and 5pm, as I straightened my back after putting a “baked dinner” in the oven I was hit by a severe pain which made me stagger and lie down in bed (tiny bedsitter-cum kitchen). The pains increased and were every 15-minutes.
Luckily, the landlady arrived home, took the situation in at a glance, got my already packed case down and waited with me until Adrian came home from work. Dr.Thomas was not surprised about a possible early delivery (25 days early) and, if the contractions continued at regular 10 minutes, or less intervals up to 7.30pm I was to be taken to the hospital.
By about 6.30pm friends/residents had returned from work and were agog with excitement of an early event. When the contractions were 8 minutes apart regularly, they walked down the long drive to the waiting taxi. The driver grew pale when he saw my “delicate condition”. He confessed to being nervous about “my condition” as a couple of mates had delivered babies in their cabs recently, but he would not know how to cope in such a situation. Adrian and I agreed on that.
Waverley War Memorial Hospital is far away from Neutral Bay, plus the Harbour Bridge has to be crossed. With every groan the taxi driver pressed harder on the accelerator, the taxi flew across the Bridge and a new speed record was set between Neutral Bay and Waverley/Bondi. Arrived at the hospital well before 8.30pm, the pains immediately ceased! while forms were being filled. Adrian hung around for a while, but was despatched home by the Matron. Husbands were not allowed to stay near their wives or help in any way in those days.
The Matron took me to a 2-bed Intermediate ward. The other bed was occupied by a young woman(YW) whose baby was 8 days old,due to go home in 2 days. YW was helpful and talked about her life in the country.
At about 9pm the contractions re-started. The nursing sister put a razor,etc on my bedside table, left. Alarmed, she whispered to YW “What’s that for?” YW:”They’re going to shave you”. The nurse returned with an enema. All brisk and smiling she asked me to remove my panties to have my pubic hair shaved. Shocked, speechless, too scared to cry, the deed was done. Nurse left with a bright smile saying “that was not so bad after all” adding “I’ll be back to give you an enema”
YW came in and comforted me saying everyone had to go through the same procedure which was hygienic and good for the baby.
Nurse returned with the enema and I protested it was unnecessary as I had not eaten. She adopted the manner of a “nanny” with a difficult child and I had to submit to another humiliating procedure.
By 10.30pm discomfort -contractions were 2 to 3 minutes apart. Lucky to have a kind and sympathetic person,YW (forgotten your name but always remember you) to hold my hand, talk and comfort me.
11pm Nurse walked me to the delivery room upstairs. She said Dr.Thomas would be there closer to delivery which might be hours yet. At the “bearing down” pains the doc. arrived and baby son,(at 2.15am 30/11/1955) don’t remember anything else until I woke in bed at 3-ish given a cup of tea and biscuit and at 4 am allowed to see & hold baby for a very short time. Slept, had a hearty breakfast at 8 am. Breast-feeding. Adrian arrived at 9am bearing gifts and flowers, congratulations from our new friends. He was only allowed to see baby Clive through the glass and not allowed to touch him until 10 days later when I left hospital.
The babies were all wheeled in from the nursery on trolleys every four hours to be breastfed. Everything timed. This did not suit baby Clive or me. He bawled his lungs out and I did a lot of quieter crying too. All this excessive regimentation and hygienic practise did not prevent my getting a severe infection from a “milking machine” which gave me an abcess and breast-feeding problems in December and on-going.
David, from my former office, took us back to Neutral Bay on 10th Dec. The minute the station wagon moved off, baby Clive ceased crying and fell asleep-a miracle! With this in mind David took us the long way home via French’s Forest. It was also the Federal Election day and we voted for the first time in Australia. The minute we arrived home Clive started bawling. This time I put his carry-cot near the radiogram, turned on Fats Waller, and voila off he went to sleep. Music was the answer. Kind friends had donated a cane pram, a rocker and baby bath and other essentials. So helpful and thoughtful, never forget it.
Wrote all this in my journal (this section cover 9 pages and its been a challenge to shorten it and make sense). My dear mother, who kept all my letters to her, has been a great help in getting the facts right.)
The photos are of houses and buildings in Sydney built before 1955 and taken by me in 1975,1985,1995,2015. The flowers and trees bloom all over Sydney in November and December of any year and I love them. Marge’s Ford was similar to this one.
We used to walk past this old Neutral Bay house in 1955. Bought out the Old Systems Title lease in 1975. Beautiful inside, loved it. Fell to developers (after long-fought struggle – another blog?). This whole street of Federation houses was knocked down for ugly townhouses. So sad.