When I first became a mother in 1978, times were hard and dollars were in short supply. I had been married for over 6 years and we hadn’t prevented pregnancy, it just didn’t happen! I got so darn sick, so fast even the doctor I saw believed it was the flu. The only one who knew differently was my mother, and she shared that information with everyone but me. When I did find out, I had no one to tell. My mother had already told them weeks before.
My mother claimed to be the seventh child of the seventh generation. That designation we were told gave her insight into many things. Obviously knowing someone else was pregnant was one of them. She often said she just knew things before they happened. She was also a very lucky person. However, it wasn’t until one of my sisters gave me a crib for my expected baby that we put one of her superstitions to the test.
My mother begged me not to put the crib up if it had wheels, or the baby would die. I remember wondering just how far that insight went, and would she be right? She actually had quite a lot of superstitions and firmly believed each one. This was one she felt strongly about, and she actually cried for my yet unborn baby, the night my husband and I assembled the crib in the basement of her home where we were staying.
Cribs today are nothing to fool with and there have been multiple recalls this year. The recalls were prompted by The Consumer Product Safety Commission who banned all drop-side cribs in 2011. The ban was precipitated by the deaths of 150 precious and loved babies from 2007 to 2010 from these drop-side cribs. I am annoyed that it took so long. Surely babies were dying from injuries related to this long before 2007, and right up until that ban was in effect. Why didn’t the manufacturers do something about this long before a ban had to be placed to stop these deaths? I know we used a drop side crib as did many other parents, and those of us that did without issue can consider ourselves blessed. My crib was also likely painted with lead paint (but that’s another article).
If you or someone you know have one of these cribs, I urge you to request a kit from the manufacturer, or somehow otherwise immobilize the drop side. Don’t sell, donate or let someone borrow the crib unless it’s been immobilized. Do it today. It’s important; a life could depend on it.
When my son was born, he did spend 5 days in the special care nursery of the hospital for ABO blood incompatibility. We waited anxiously to see if he would need a blood transfusion. He made it without one, but it was touch and go for awhile, and his father and I cried a lot outside the window of the special care nursery. I thought about the crib and wondered if after all of this, could my precious son die simply because of a superstition. He didn’t die, but I walked in my mothers own shoes that day because when I was born my blood had to be transfused. I was born a blue baby (caused by Rh factor issues) and I was also born with a caul. She believed someone born this way would be special, gifted, be able to see beyond the veil (caul) with wisdom and vision. I am still testing that out, and I will write more about that at a later date.
Added 4/30/12 – There are some amazing pictures here of a baby born in a caul or veil. http://blogs.babble.com/being-pregnant/2012/04/30/amazing-photos-of-baby-born-in-the-amniotic-sac/
Remember, these are all my own personal opinions, I have not been paid by anyone to write any of these articles.