You would think that this being pregnant thing would be "old hat" to Helen, but think again!   No two pregnancies or deliveries are the same and that fact is no different for Helen.  The differences in the experience had a lot to do with where Willie and Helen were living at the time and her age.  Helen started having babies when she was 19 years old so her age was definitely a factor in the ease of difficulty of the pregnancy.
__When she found out she was pregnant with Larry, they lived in that tiny little shotgun house with the smelly outhouse right around the corner.  Even though it wasn't the best of living conditions, she was young and healthy which made this pregnancy pretty easy.  She had Larry at home with the help of a doctor who made house calls.  At the beginning of her pregnancy with Sondra, she was still breast feeding Larry who was barely 9 months old.  Her due date with Sondra had been March 21st so during the 3 weeks waiting to deliver...there were a lot of hard contractions with several false trips to the hospital before Sissy made her appearance on April 9th.

Next came the morning sickness with Linda...which was actually constant nausea.  Helen hadn't experienced such a hard time with the other two making this pregnancy the most difficult so far.  When the time came  for Linda to make her appearance, she didn't wait for the doctor to get there...the nurse had to actually catch her as she shot out.  Jimmy was the baby that came on time and was so easy to deliver.  She went into labor naturally at Aunt Polly's house after chasing those chickens.  Jimmy's birth was the easiest so far...Helen didn't even remember having him...the doctor had hypnotized her. 

She is now pregnant with her fifth child which has brought a new set of challenges.  The nausea only lasted for a few days after Thanksgiving and by New Year's Day Helen was feeling so good you wouldn't even know she was pregnant if it wasn't for the little baby bump.  This all changed around the 4th month when she started having sharp pains in her lower abdomen...(actually in her pelvic area) so strong it really concerned her.   She went to the doctor to find out what was causing her severe pelvic pain.  What he discovered was that her pelvic bones had popped out of place.  He popped her bones back in place, but told her that it would more than likely happen again.  Even though you could say that Helen was experienced at being "with child", she nonetheless had to learn to adapt to the changes in her body as this 5th child grew and her bones didn't want to stay in place.

So this 5th time around was going to be different and she would have to stay off of her feet as much as possible.  How do you stay off of your feet with 2 little ones still needing your attention?  It would require everyone helping out as much as possible and her resting whenever she can.  The older children would have to help by washing dishes, helping with the house cleaning and babysitting Linda and Jim Bo so mom could rest.  They were on the one hand happy for the new baby coming and on the other hand dreading all the added chores.

Staying off of her feet was going to be hard to do, but she would do her best to protect this baby and her health.
 


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    Paula Tollison Andrews Maupin
    I am married to Bobby and live in the Nashville, TN area, working as Executive Assistant to both the Director of Sales and General Manager of FOX17, MyTV30 & CW58 television
    _I have 3 wonderful sons and daughters in love (Brad & Holly Andrews, Bryan & Stacy Andrews and Brandon & Ashley Andrews) from Tulsa, St. Louis & Springfield respectively. They have given me 9 precious grandbabies.  (Joseph, Cooper, Margo, Sloan, Jonas, Nora, Everett, Lawson and Blythe & Gma loves them so much) I also have 2 great stepsons and daughter in love (Jonathan & Kathryn Maupin and William Maupin) from Lexington, Kentucky.

    As a lady who's lived through both good & bad circumstances in my life, I've learned and continue to learn a lot of "life lessons".  Along the way I have been inspired to be a better me.  God is faithful in ALL circumstances and His love covers all.   My hope is that you will be inspired to be who you were meant to be. 

    I have been writing this blog about my mom and dad since September of 2011.

    You can find their story from the beginning by going to the Stories link.  Happy Reading!!!
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