It’s been a while since I shared a reprint of ReBirth (the Choices in Childbirth newspaper from Ontario, Canada in the 1980s) and I admit part of that has been that it’s something I couldn’t look at for a while after losing my mother. I have read each and every volume with her in mind and we’ve had discussions about some of the pieces she wrote or were written by others. But as is probably obvious, the best way to honour her memory is to continue to share the amazing work she (and many others) did.
The current issue includes a piece by my mother that was hard as I have very vivid memories myself of this event. It’s on miscarriage – something I myself have written about – and some things come from her personal experience. You see, my mother miscarried before my brother was born. I was six or seven (on the cusp of seven so I can’t remember which side of it I fell on) and I’d known about the pregnancy for not too long – my mom told me when she was around 10 weeks along. I was sooo excited to have a younger sibling and I made sure to share with all my friends (all of whom had younger siblings). And then one day a few weeks later when we were supposed to go to a party across the street at the Cambell’s house (we were 189, they 188, and had two girls around my age whom I was very, very close to – in fact Jill, the oldest, came to visit me when I was a mere day old though neither her nor I remember this), I came downstairs and my mom was crying. She told me the baby had died. She would have been 13 weeks along.
I didn’t know what to do. My dad told me to leave and go over to Campbell’s house so I did. Between my front door and their front door, I had started crying. I rang the doorbell and Jill and her mom answered and I sat there in tears crying and telling them my brother or sister had died. They brought me in and Jill’s mom comforted me for what seemed like a very long time. It was one of those moments where, looking back, I realized what an amazing community I had growing up. I may not have been in a small town (and really in the middle of a large city), but our neighbourhood was as tight as anything and everyone looked out for all the kids.
Anyway, here is the latest volume of ReBirth. I hope you enjoy this amazing piece of history as much as I do!
Tracy
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