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S14.E01: Episode 1

txhorns79

By txhorns79
in Call The Midwife

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Notabug

Notabug

20 hours ago, eel2178 said:

In the 1990s, I took care of a 16year old who nearly died from an ectopic pregnancy. Her mother was adamant that her daughter was a virgin and had never been pregnant. No amount of medical evidence would cause her to believe otherwise. The only time the girl could talk about the pregnancy and get her questions answered was when her mother wasn't around which was very rarely.

It was a pretty sad situation. She ended up having her leg amputated, and her mother still came up with excuses for why that had to happen without admitting that her daughter had ever been sexually active, let alone pregnant.

I delivered a set of premature twins to a 14 year old who insisted, along with her mother, that she was a virgin right until the first baby was born.  Grandma got dizzy and had to lie down in the delivery room before the second twin arrived.

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Notabug

Notabug

(edited)
10 minutes ago, eel2178 said:

Did she claim it had been an immaculate conception, or did she not know how babies were made?

She kept insisting she couldn't possibly be pregnant at all.  As did her mother.  She had no prenatal care, came to the ER with a belly ache.  The ER doc took  one look and asked her when her baby was due.  Kid: "I'm not pregnant, I'm a virgin". Mom: "She's not pregnant, she's a virgin".  The OB resident was called and got the same song and dance from mother and daughter who even expressed scepticism that the ultrasound was accurate.  She was in active labor and I was called as Chief Resident to do the delivery.  The babies were breech and a cesarean would usually be done, but her mother refused to allow it and things were moving quickly and we only had a rough estimate of her due date at that point, because, of course, she insisted that she had regular monthly periods all along.  Kids were identical twin boys, about 26 weeks along and ultimately did well and went home with mom to live at Grandma's.  Social services was involved and the kid and her mother refused to discuss what exactly had happened.

Edited by Notabug
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Haleth

Haleth

Poor Paula. Making a child deliver a baby that might injure her enough to never be able to carry child when she’s more mature is cruel.

I’m sorry Phyllis wasn’t stronger with the VBAC birth. I understand her fears but she was never one to freeze in fear. That seems so out of character.  She normally would have taken charge and made the mom feel safe.

I was thinking how lovely it would have been for Collette to grow up (for a few years) with so many doting aunties.

I was brought up Catholic and married a Presbyterian just 10 years later than this. We even married in a Catholic Church by a priest.  No one cared. I had one child baptized a Catholic and the other a Presbyterian. 

Yes, the choppy scenes were off putting. 

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Driad

Driad

1 hour ago, Notabug said:

Kids were identical twin boys, about 26 weeks along and ultimately did well and went home with mom to live at Grandma's.

Wondering what Grandma told the neighbors.  In not-so-olden days it was not unusual for Teenage Daughter to stop going to school and stay in the house.  At some point TD's mother would show off "her" new baby, who would be brought up as TD's sibling.  Neighbors were expected to congratulate TD's mother and not mention having heard all about her hysterectomy a few years earlier.  

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Sarah 103

Sarah 103

19 hours ago, Driad said:

Wondering what Grandma told the neighbors.  In not-so-olden days it was not unusual for Teenage Daughter to stop going to school and stay in the house.  At some point TD's mother would show off "her" new baby, who would be brought up as TD's sibling.  Neighbors were expected to congratulate TD's mother and not mention having heard all about her hysterectomy a few years earlier.  

I've heard versions of this story where the family moves so it's a fresh start and no one knows anything about their past (beyond what they tell the new neighbors. Pre-Google/Social Media, so many things were possible that are not longer as easy). In a variation of this, the daughter is sent away and then she returns with the baby. I want to say the movie Susan Slade is a variation of this, and also part of Jack Nicholson's history. 

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caitmcg

caitmcg

19 hours ago, Driad said:

In not-so-olden days it was not unusual for Teenage Daughter to stop going to school and stay in the house.  At some point TD's mother would show off "her" new baby, who would be brought up as TD's sibling

My ex had a friend who was pretty much estranged from her family for this reason — as a young adult, she had learned that her much older "sister" was actually her biological parent and "mum" was actually her grandmother. She was born in England around the time the current season takes place. This is also (famously) Jack Nicholson's story.

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Calvada

Calvada

I know someone whose uterus ruptured while attempting VBAC.  She survived; the baby suffered oxygen deprivation.  He's now a young adult, a quadriplegic with a feeding tube.  It was horrific hearing the details.  

Poor Paula, she had no idea she was even having sexual intercourse, because her parents refused to give her the basic facts of life, and then they blamed her.  At least her father realizes fault lies with them even if her mother does not. 

I was amused how Roger's mother could have one discussion with Miss Higgins and suddenly she's all reconciled to her son's marriage.  Just what was in that tea Millicent was serving?  Interfaith marriage was a huge deal at this time.  In 1972, in America there was a sitcom about a Catholic woman marrying a Jewish man, Bridget Loves Bernie.  It got canceled after one season despite high ratings because of protests.  It is also remembered as the show where the two stars, Meredith Baxter and David Birney, met.  They married about a year after the show ended.  And divorced about 15 years later!  

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3 is enough

3 is enough

I also thought the Troubles may have influenced Roger’s mother’s thinking. Of course the fact that Nancy had a child did not help. 
 

My parents were married in 1958. She was Catholic-he was Anglican. He had no intention of converting but he did promise to raise the children as Catholics. They were married in the chapel of a large Catholic Church. They could not be married in the sanctuary because he was not Catholic. There was no problem with either family- everyone was accepting. The priest was a family friend and he even went to the reception. I do wonder if people were more accepting in Canada (specifically Montreal)- there was lots of intermarriage in the extended family by either religion or language  (French-English), and no one seemed to mind.

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CoyoteBlue

CoyoteBlue

(edited)
On 4/6/2025 at 9:36 PM, Calvada said:

Poor Paula, she had no idea she was even having sexual intercourse,

I don't know that she actually had PIV intercourse at all, but rather the boy jizzed on her undies and she's freakishly fertile. It sounded like he was the only one "wrestling" with "interfered-with" clothes.

For me, mentioning 'immaculate conception' was annoying because the correct term is 'virgin birth'. Immaculate Conception is the belief that Mary had to be born without Original Sin in order to be a vessel for the Son of God, not that Jesus was born to a virgin sans hanky-panky.

Edited by CoyoteBlue
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libgirl2

libgirl2

On 4/6/2025 at 9:36 PM, Calvada said:

I know someone whose uterus ruptured while attempting VBAC.  She survived; the baby suffered oxygen deprivation.  He's now a young adult, a quadriplegic with a feeding tube.  It was horrific hearing the details.  

Poor Paula, she had no idea she was even having sexual intercourse, because her parents refused to give her the basic facts of life, and then they blamed her.  At least her father realizes fault lies with them even if her mother does not. 

I was amused how Roger's mother could have one discussion with Miss Higgins and suddenly she's all reconciled to her son's marriage.  Just what was in that tea Millicent was serving?  Interfaith marriage was a huge deal at this time.  In 1972, in America there was a sitcom about a Catholic woman marrying a Jewish man, Bridget Loves Bernie.  It got canceled after one season despite high ratings because of protests.  It is also remembered as the show where the two stars, Meredith Baxter and David Birney, met.  They married about a year after the show ended.  And divorced about 15 years later!  

I used to watch that show!

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