Categories: uncategorized
Date: 24 September 2007 15:13:37
Today I did something that is very rare for me.... I cried. Yes, that's right T&E is a MAN but does very occasionally have feelings.
So why did I cry?
Well I was driving to work and was listening to Radio 5Live the BBC's talk radio news & sport station. Around 11 o'clock they played a tape of a call to the London ambulance service. It contained the journalist Leo Hickman talking to the call centre as his wife was lying on their bedroom floor in the middle of giving birth. They had decided on a home birth tbut the midwives were stuck in traffic and the contractions had started.
With their previous child labour had lasted 45 minutes and they were expecting a similar experience this time. Janet Hickman had had an inkling that this time Leo would be handling the delivery himself but not said anything. The midwives had recommended that they summon an ambulance just in case.
We heard him talking calmly to the operator describing what was happening and she was telling him what to do next. The call had been slightly edited, probably to cut out Janet's swearing. Yet this was a thoroughly moving conversation. Throughout the call you are on tenderhooks as you don't know the outcome.
The really shocking part was at the end when you hear that the operator was only 20 years old and this was her first month on the job after training, yet she sounded so calm and professional. At the end she just says: "Congratulations" and ends the call.
The funny thing was that Granny is down stairs with the other 2 kids with the TV turned up loud to drown out the sounds of Jabet's labour. The first either of the kids knows something is happening is when the 2 ambulance crews yurn up and their are men walking up and down the stairs.
Being the person I am I never expect to go through this personally - well obviously I can't personally as I'm a man. Having listened to this tape I have a very slight inkling of the pleasures and emotions involved at the end result but still have definitely no desire to go through this with FW.
If you want to hear it go to:
www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/victoriaderbyshire/2007/09/emergency_response.html
It also has a link to Leo's Guardian article as well.
We saw Leo at Greenbelt 2005 when he was talking about his attempt to live for a year as environmentally friendly as possible.