(no subject)

This time sixteen years ago I was in Peterborough Hospital starting the lengthy process of giving birth to the valley girl and the earwig. The consultant with short stubby fingers performed something called a sweep; I knew it was going to hurt because The Fierce Midwife, who had previously confined herself (did you spot what I did there - a small obstetrical pun) to shouting at me for standing on a hospital floor with no slippers on, was suddenly at my bedside, holding my hand and telling me to think about something nice.

This time sixteen years ago I was feeling very jealous of My Friend Vickie who had been a mother for three hours; our due dates were actually almost a month apart but for various reasons we ended up in hospital together and for various other reasons we were both there for 10 days and became institutionalised together. And we absolutely loved it. And My Friend Vickie's daughter and the earwig and the valley girl were together for Vickie's daughter's birthday dinner last night and they have been completely lifelong friends,which makes me feel quite squishy whenever I think about it.

This time sixteen years ago very little was happening on the giving birth front, and I had my last proper night's sleep for some time to come.

And today the earwig was back at Peterborough Hospital, for her first appointment with the Young Person's psychotherapist. Which is not a rite of passage I was envisaging sixteen years ago.