When Elizabeth Deneal had her first child in 1936, it was
the hottest July on record and there was no air conditioning. She was required
to lie flat on her back for eight days after the delivery, using a bed pan. Family
members were prohibited from attending the birth. And she had no idea she was
going to have twins until the first one had been delivered.
Deneal, a 92-year-old Illinois
woman, got a chance to witness firsthand how delivery room proceedings have
changed when her great-granddaughter invited her to assist at her birth. Even though Deneal has two great-great-grandchildren, five
step-great-great-grandchildren, about 20 great-grandchildren, 14 grandchildren,
and five children—whew!—this was the first time she had witnessed a birth.
Although she was amazed at the modern equipment like fetal monitors and labor balls, most of her wonder
was age-old. Speaking of her great-great-granddaughter, Deneal said, “They [the
doctors] took her over to where they cleaned up and I stood right there and I
thought, ‘How precious she is, right there, and just minutes ago she was inside
her mama.’”
Personally, I'm still reeling from this woman's list of progeny.
Photo: Rick Danzl/The News-Gazette
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Grass Green, Sky Blue, Another Old Lady Gives Birth to Her Grandson
Super Old Mom of Newborn Twins: My Son's a Dream; My Daughter? Meh
