Our Smallest Delivery
Aunt Fran, Francis Dee Cecil,d/o Charles Arthur Cecil and Hally Evelyn Butrick, was born very early. The doctor was called to come to the house, as was the practice back then, to help with delivery.
Labor was hard and long, and the doctor had his hands full trying to take care of grandma, and then this little thing was born, hardly making a sound. She was so tiny and frail the doctor just tossed her aside on the bed so he could continue working to save grandma.
The doctor went about his work and when finished just left.
When Grandma recovered a bit she asked that someone had the baby to her. A neighbor woman, acting as a mid-wife told her that she should just let her go, but Grandma would have none of that.
She told one of the older children to find her a shoe box and get her a small blanket. Aunt Frannie was wrapped in a small blanket and laid on Grandma's chest. There she slept and was fed by an eye dropper. After Grandma regained her strength, Aunt Frannie was placed in a shoe box and carried around the house wherever Grandma went.
Since Aunt Frannie was born in January the house was quite cold. They had an old stove with a warming tray so Grandma would place the shoebox on the warming tray to keep Aunt Frannie warm while she was busy doing chores and couldn't hold her.
Well, Aunt Frannie may not have made much noise when she was born, but we all know she sure made up for it as she got older!!!!
(Above story told to Patty (Patterson) Remali by Grandma (Cecil-1) Inman herself)
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