my mother's birth story

My mother (Alfreda) was born on a farm, outside of a small town in KwaZulu Natal in South African in 1926 (we think it is 26 it could have even been 25). My grandmother (Betsida) was living in Durban at the time but had decided to go home to her mother (Philabena) for the birth of her child.

My great-grandmother ran the family farm on her own as my great-grandfather had passed away, with the help of workers. My grandmother was out "supervising" the workers, as my great-grandmother was a sangomas (zulu healer & herbalist) and was visiting a patient on another farm. Granny started to go into labour, in the middle of a field. The worker women stopped their work to help her give birth. From what my granny told me mum was born at mid-day as the sun was directly overhead, and mum's cord was cut with ribbon grass. Mum was also born with a cowl, which one of the workers kept for my great-grandmother to dry, as far as I know the placenta was also kept to be cooked for granny to eat.

At my mother's funeral in 2004, my brother told everybody the version he had been told - that Mum was born in the laundry with help - that is what Mum had told him - I got my version from my grandmother when I was about 6.

My brother was the first member of the family born in a hospital in 1945 (in Durban), I followed on along nearly 25 years later - born quite happily in a hospital in London.

Oh Wow!!! That is awesome. It makes me feel like a whimp with the way I carry on :oops: I'm going to read that story to myself over the next few months to remind myself how our ancestors have done it forever.

Wow Schaz! What a great story to pass on!