Birth

Inevitably the first mention of me is on page 38. Before that Dad gives a fascinating account of his education and family in York , meeting and marrying Mum, evacuation to Johannesburg in the War and the return to Gloucester. I was born in Cheltenham on the 30th September 1946. Mum had a "bad time of it" going in on Saturday and I was born on the Monday. Dad does not mention that Mum did not see me for 24 hours - how agonising that must have been. Dad would often remark that the umbilical cord is never cut and I was certainly a much loved son. Instruments were used for the delivery and  ever afterwards my problems were described as "congenital". What that meant was hard to find out. It could mean during birth or before birth. I am inclined to think the former although my right leg and foot are shorter than the left and I have no reflexes in the right leg at all, I also have a raised muscle int eh right of my neck and poorer hearing on the right hand side.The spectre of polio was often mentioned but I still do not think that I contracted it. I have often wanted to contact the Cheltenham nursing home to find my records but as we do not know which one it was....