dorrie – Seite 3

1976, Regina is born

1976 daughter Regina was born

13 and 7 are lucky numbers

Additions etc. for her birthday 2022

It was a hot summer night on July 12, 1976. It was one of the hottest since who knew when.

I sat on our balcony together with H.-M. and some friends. We enjoyed a nice punch called “cold duck”. The punch consisted of 2 bottles of white wine, 1 bottle of champaign, and one lemon. It needs to be served very cold, which was quite refreshing in the heat. But, carrying around a big tummy was beginning to get to me. The baby had already wanted to come 8 weeks too soon so the doctor had ordered me to rest, stop dancing, and take it easy. Not very easy with a 2 year old in the house!

At seven the next morning, July 13, the contractions started. Looks like this baby wanted to finally greet us… or was it the “cold duck”? To be on the safe side, we drove to the clinic.

After the usual checks, the contractions stopped. But since it was near term, they decided to keep me there. I met my room mate and then my hubby left for home to take care of our little boy.

The room was located on the top floor of the flat roofed hospital. I believe it was the 12^th floor or something. The heat really beat down and the windows were fixed so that they could only be tipped and not opened… too many women with “baby blues” might attempt to jump… can’t have that happening! The poor girl next to me had already had her baby, which had to be in a special clinic. She wasn’t nursing and was told not to drink much, which was difficult in that heat.

I was told to press the button for the nurse if the contractions should begin again…. which they then did around 7 or so in the evening! I pressed the button and got wheeled back down to the delivery room. There my favorite nurse, a cute red head, had duty. “I didn’t expect to see you again today” she said. They did the usual tests, and then we waited. Around 10 p.m. my favorite nurse had to go home, and she was replaced by a black haired young and small nurse. My doctor by-the-way was on vacation…. of course! The assistant on duty, as well as this black-haired witch, didn’t seem to know much…. and I wasn’t all that knowledgeable myself. After all, it was only my second birth! The contractions had stopped again. The nurse gave me a shot on instructions from the doc, telling me it wouldn’t hinder the contractions if they came back but would let me sleep.

About an hour later the water broke! I was all alone in the room… and quite dazed from the shot. I located the button and pushed. The black witch came in and asked what was wrong. I tried to tell her my water had broke but I couldn’t talk properly. I remember her yelling at me, as if it was no big thing and no reason for pushing the button. But soon the contractions get heavier… I was still dazed. I couldn’t talk right, I mixed up German and English. My legs wouldn’t stay bent up, they kept slipping down. The black witch yelled at me again! Roughly translated she said: “Behave yourself!”. But I couldn’t! I was drugged!

The next morning, at around 9, the nurses came in to clean me up. I said “what for? I haven’t had my baby yet!” They looked at me, I noticed the band on my wrist, and slowly the nightmare of the night before came back. “Is it a girl or boy?” I asked. “We’ll have to go check the files!” they answered. They didn’t know! While they were gone, I told the other girl in my room that I was sure it was a boy… I wouldn’t be lucky enough to have a girl, too. But they came back and informed me that it was indeed a girl! At 15 minutes before midnight, on July 13, my lovely daughter

Regina Ellen

was born.

	winter near our new home in Rodgau-Jügesheim

This buggy was so great!!
Carsten really enjoyed his sister.
Regina being busy in the corridor in front of our apartment.	I’m missing some great photos of him looking at her in her craddle. If I find them I’ll add them here. The following were Christmas 1977 and she got her favorit doll which she kept for many years

me and Michael enjoying the holiday and Michaels sister, Petra, came to visit.

The stay here at the Offenbach Hospital was soooooo much better then the one in Frankfurt where Carsten was born.

2001 ECVHS Class Reunion

In spite of the tragic events of September 2001 in New York, the reunion took place! And I managed to attend!

This last picture most have been taken on a different day since I’m wearing a different outfit.

1974, Carsten is born

1974 Birth of Carsten

In the early morning hours I had back aches, which I didn’t think it could be birth contractions. But we decided to drive to the hospital anyway.

While on the highway we discussed about which hospital we should go to. We decided on the Frankfurt Uni Clinic because we figured if there were any complications we could be sure of professional care. Also, it was the same one that Michael had been born in.

We found our way there since weeks before we had already visited it. We went up to the top floor, signed me in, then Michael left. I was told to get undressed, oddly the room for that was full of cleaning stuff, brooms, etc. I was then placed in a bath tub, then on a bed. I was rolled into another room and once again left alone.

I then started feeling like I had to throw up, but where and how? I rang the bell for help and a young medicine student arrived and had no idea what to do. He left, then came back with one of those kidney formed bowls. Not great but better then nothing.

Then things got serious and I was rolled into a different room. Then the contractions began. I wasn’t given a shot or anything but all seemed to be going well.

But soon after my baby was born, they said they had to do something, and called in as many students as were available. It seemed I had a tear in my vagina which was quite unusual and that’s why they called in the students.

After it was all taken care of they rolled me a “normal” room, but it was one with 8 beds! I hadn’t seen my baby yet and it was so sad seeing all those other ladies holding theirs. The next day I was placed in a 3 bed room. I remember that one of the ladies never got her baby since it was in a special clinic. I don’t know why.

As you can tell by the title it was the early 70’s. I wanted to nurse Carsten but that wasn’t “normal”. Carsten, as we soon named him, was brought a few times a day. But I couldn’t nurse him. The food in the clinic was horrible so how could I develop milk? The only thing I could eat was yogurt, which I never liked. And he didn’t seem to be hungry so I figured they gave him a bottle before bringing him to me.

Just before Carsten was born we decided we would go the same hospital that Michaels father was born in, which is why we chose it. My stay there was horrible! Back then it was usual to stay for at least 10 days, whether necessary or not. And nursing wasn’t supported either. And when I left my room for a walk it was extremely boring. All the babies were in a room with curtain, making it impossible to see them. Heremoved into a new and larger apartment in a nieghboring village, Jügesheim. It was really necessary.

On March 6, 1974, my son, Carsten, was born in a hospital in Frankfurt, Germany. It are a couple of pictures from the first days:

We were also supposed to take walks. But the room with babies had a curtain so it was not possible to see them. So there was no incentive to take walks. Back then it was also common to be kept 10 days in the clinic!

I was so glad when Michael came to pick us up and drive home. We of course had a room prepared for Carsten. Back then it was also not common to use Pampers! I tried to use cloth diapers but soon gave it up and used the Pampers. One of the arguments about Pampers was the plastic lining which would cause the Pipi to without air would cause infections.

Well he got an infection once but not because of the Pampers, but because I dared to drink orange juice, then afterwards nursed him. That was a bad idea!!

This is what it looked like: