Memories from 1965 by Mary Mather (Mum)

Christopher (dad) was away for the last six months and it was touch and go whether he would be back or whether Michael would be born first.  Chris finally flew in one Friday and  I was just  able to squeeze behind the steering wheel to drive to the airfield to meet him. We went for a walk around Lossie that weekend for Chris to say hello to the O’Gormans’s at the RSR.  

Michael started to arrive early on the Monday morning and Chris drove me to Maryhill Maternity Hospital in Elgin about 7.0am.  On the way to Elgin we hit a little bird and it seemed so sad that it should have died just as a new life was about to enter the world.

As the squadron had only just got back  after six months, Chris had to go straight back to work for the day and I was ushed into a little room and left lying on a couch which seemed about four feet off the ground – far too high for me to get off and back again.  It was a very long day and I really didn’t know quite what to expect as I was left on my own wondering where everybody was and what was going to happen next. 

Michael was born at 5.0pm and to be given this dear little mite to cuddle, all wrapped up in a blanket was a real treat after longing to see him and wondering what he was going to look like .  Once back in the ward, babies were brought around on a trolley from their nursery, and ‘dished out’ for their mothers to feed.

I got the most dreadful shock when one of Michael’s mittens fell off and I saw what I thought was a deformed little finger dangling from the edge of his hand by a thread.  When I rang the bell the nurse seemed surprised that no-one had told me about it and  pointed out that it was an extra finger – and there was one on the other hand too.  Panic over, I was told it could easily be removed once he was about 6 weeks old.