The most dangerous thing was infections. Of course, a good many mothers knew enough to prepare for the birth by sterilizing in their ovens materials to be used around the mother and baby. What role did the doctor have? Well, I think he cut the cord. And probably passed it [the baby] along to the grandmother that was in the house. And that was about it. Had a cup of tea and went home. Unless there was any complications. He would have to have a bit of knowledge. I imagine that he had some training in obstetrics. [My mother] was a very private person. She didn't talk about her own personal experiences the way people do today; but one time she told us this story as we were sitting around, about my birth. Where I was born at home. Where she was alone with two small children in bed with her because they were frightened. There had been so much snow down and, I suppose, they needed firewood. There was a break in the weather and [my father] went to the woodlot to get some wood out, and was to be home at noon. During the morning, she had taken a dose of castor oil for a laxative not knowing, probably, that this was a dangerous thing to do in a pregnancy case. And [she] went into labour. She was alone, very frightened, [but] she had everything prepared - even the bed in the dining room: the wood stove was there. She had to take the two children into bed with her while she was in labour. When my father came home, she was in the last stages of her labour. He ran for a neighbour' s wife to come in, and went for the doctor who lived just a mile or so away. By the time the doctor came there, she had delivered me on her own. Very vocal child. The neighbour's wife was thrown into a panic to be left there. But, when the doctor came all systems were go. Childhood I don' t know whether I knew at the time that I had disappointed my parents, who were looking for a boy. After two girls you don't want a third. The next child [after me] was a boy. So, when the next child was born, I was very much on my own, and the boy was very important to the family. 1 became the boy of the family too, and I was with my father and brother more, growing up. The girls were brought up more like ladies. Anything [the boys] were doing, I was with them, riding on the wagons and with the horses. But, in those days, the horses were work and we didn't ride them 156 BELFAST PEOPLE