Chapter Fourteen - ‘Childbirth Agony’
Over the following year, all seemed to progress nicely between Mary and Rory. Although Mary’s work at the hospital involved the irregular hours of shift work, night work, and the occasional double shift when the hospital was understaffed, Rory’s job was essentially as predictable as could be, and it fell to him to do most of the cooking, cleaning, and flat tidying.
On weekend mornings when Mary was not working at the hospital, the couple would lie in bed and make love once, twice, and even three times before noon! Despite her coming to sexual activity late on in her life, once it had been kick-started, Mary Fanning’s libido was always in overdrive. She had a high sex drive and liked love making immensely. It didn’t take any persuasion at all for Rory to coax her to lower her knickers and part her legs.
The couple couldn’t have been happier. The only cloud on the horizon was Rory’s wife, Annie. Since their separation, Annie had managed to keep him under observation through the regular feedback she received from a mutual acquaintance. It was as though Annie needed to know how far down the human chain Rory had sunk with his drinking addiction since she’d thrown him out. The closer to the gutter Rory remained, the more reassured she became that she’d made the correct decision to separate from him.
However, once she found out that he’d stopped drinking and was now happily shacked up with a younger and more attractive woman, and was planning to start a family, Annie Munt’s situation changed. She suddenly moved from not wanting him to making sure that no other woman could have him either; especially the sober version of the man she had once loved. She decided she’d never agree to a divorce and would do everything she could to frustrate him getting one.
Annie Munt essentially did this by moving to a different address in pastures new, without leaving behind a forwarding address. She believed that unless Rory could find her, he’d never be able to serve her with divorce papers he now sought!
On weekend mornings when Mary was not working at the hospital, the couple would lie in bed and make love once, twice, and even three times before noon! Despite her coming to sexual activity late on in her life, once it had been kick-started, Mary Fanning’s libido was always in overdrive. She had a high sex drive and liked love making immensely. It didn’t take any persuasion at all for Rory to coax her to lower her knickers and part her legs.
The couple couldn’t have been happier. The only cloud on the horizon was Rory’s wife, Annie. Since their separation, Annie had managed to keep him under observation through the regular feedback she received from a mutual acquaintance. It was as though Annie needed to know how far down the human chain Rory had sunk with his drinking addiction since she’d thrown him out. The closer to the gutter Rory remained, the more reassured she became that she’d made the correct decision to separate from him.
However, once she found out that he’d stopped drinking and was now happily shacked up with a younger and more attractive woman, and was planning to start a family, Annie Munt’s situation changed. She suddenly moved from not wanting him to making sure that no other woman could have him either; especially the sober version of the man she had once loved. She decided she’d never agree to a divorce and would do everything she could to frustrate him getting one.
Annie Munt essentially did this by moving to a different address in pastures new, without leaving behind a forwarding address. She believed that unless Rory could find her, he’d never be able to serve her with divorce papers he now sought!
~~~~~
The day Mary Fanning learned that she was pregnant, despite being unmarried, she was nevertheless over the moon; and so was Rory when she told him the news.
After Rory had discovered that his wife, Annie, had left the scene, he began to realise that any divorce he wanted, although possible to attain, would take longer than originally planned if he wasn’t aware of his wife’s location to have the necessary papers served.
He and Mary decided not to place their happiness on hold a moment longer than was necessary, given her pregnant condition. Over the next nine months the couple prepared for parenthood while Rory continued to trace his wife.
After three months of pregnancy, Mary was to experience the Lanigan family pattern of multiple births. The hospital told her that she was pregnant with three embryos kicking around inside her tummy!
By this time, Mary’s compensation had come through. It was as if the heavens had fallen in her lap at the precise moment when she had to give up her job at the hospital. Mary learned that the financial settlement would be considerable; €3.75 million.
That night when she told Rory, the couple planned to immediately secure a larger property in the countryside, with land and enough room to have a horse, a couple of dogs, and a few sheep and hens roaming about.
The triplets were due to be born during the first week of January 2004, and a part of Mary’s compensation was used to purchase a good-sized family house in time for Christmas as they awaited the multiple birth.
After Rory had discovered that his wife, Annie, had left the scene, he began to realise that any divorce he wanted, although possible to attain, would take longer than originally planned if he wasn’t aware of his wife’s location to have the necessary papers served.
He and Mary decided not to place their happiness on hold a moment longer than was necessary, given her pregnant condition. Over the next nine months the couple prepared for parenthood while Rory continued to trace his wife.
After three months of pregnancy, Mary was to experience the Lanigan family pattern of multiple births. The hospital told her that she was pregnant with three embryos kicking around inside her tummy!
By this time, Mary’s compensation had come through. It was as if the heavens had fallen in her lap at the precise moment when she had to give up her job at the hospital. Mary learned that the financial settlement would be considerable; €3.75 million.
That night when she told Rory, the couple planned to immediately secure a larger property in the countryside, with land and enough room to have a horse, a couple of dogs, and a few sheep and hens roaming about.
The triplets were due to be born during the first week of January 2004, and a part of Mary’s compensation was used to purchase a good-sized family house in time for Christmas as they awaited the multiple birth.
~~~~~
The couple moved to Kilkenny to start anew and they secured a beautiful property in Rathbourne in time for the birth of their triplets. Mary named the house ‘Lanigan Way’. John naturally gave up his job and said he’d get another after the birth of the babies.
Mary Fanning had thought about her ‘special’ firstborn many times over the years, but never once considered that she’d have three infants the first time around. She’d certainly inherited the Lanigan genes!
Before the week came that she was due to give birth, Mary’s waters broke. It was Christmas Eve of 2003. There wasn’t time to get Mary into the maternity ward and an emergency district midwife was dispatched to ‘Lanigan Way’.
By the time the midwife arrived, Mary was already stood upright by the side of the bed and the first of three had started to show. The midwife quickly prepared to facilitate the delivery, and instantly realised something was wrong!
After examining Mary, the midwife became alarmed that the baby was coming out feet first and there were signs that the umbilical cord was wrapped around the infant’s neck.
Mary pushed as instructed and ten minutes later her firstborn was born two minutes into Christmas Day, with two more little ones waiting to follow on behind.
For a minute or two, Mary’s firstborn, didn’t breathe and her face started to turn blue. The midwife held the baby’s mouth open and breathed into it half a dozen times and was eventually relieved when the baby screamed.
Mary wasn’t at all surprised to learn it was a girl. As the baby was wrapped up and placed safely down, the midwife proceeded to deliver the second child and then the third of the triplet girls.
Within the space of little more than forty minutes, the joy of Mary’s parenthood turned to painful agony as the second and third babies were pronounced ‘stillborn’. Rory didn’t know what to do and how to respond when he learned how sour his Christmas celebrations had turned.
He found it hard to rejoice that the first child the midwife had delivered lived, while he grieved for the death of the other two. The feelings of joy and sadness were irreconcilable, and he was left confused; not knowing how to respond to Mary’s distress.
As he moved across to Mary in the bed, he didn’t know where to place his emotions and gently placed his arms around her with tears in his eyes. Mary cried at the loss of the other two infants who never made it into this world alive as she cradled the living child to her breast. Rory cried with her.
The midwife was also shocked at the two infants that were stillborn as it isn’t usual for stillborn pregnancies to go their full term. Without asking permission, the midwife opened a large Gladstone bag she carried and after wrapping the two stillborn in two pieces of clean white linen cloth, she placed each infant body carefully inside her bag and clasped it closed.
“I’m so sorry to burden you with this at this moment in time,” she asked Rory and Mary, “but will you want the stillborn back for burial or would you prefer me to arrange disposal with it being the Christmas season and fewer funeral directors available before the New Year?”
Mary and Rory instinctively shuddered at the term ‘disposal’. Mary tersely replied, “No! Return the bodies of my two babies to me. I’ll arrange their burial, thank you very much, even if I’ve to do it myself!”
“I’ll have to take the two babies away with me for the present and after they’ve been registered they can be returned to your charge for either burial or cremation,” the midwife said; careful not to cause any further unintentional offence to the grieving parents.
Nine days later, arrangements had been made to bury the two stillborn on January 6th, 2004. It would seem that they also were trapped and deprived of oxygen when being delivered.
Mary had registered all three babies she’d delivered, one born healthily and the other two stillborn. All three were registered under similar Christian names. The living child was named Mary, and the other two were called Marion and Marianne under the surname of Munt-Fanning. The burial of Marion and Marianne was kept secret from the rest of the extensive family. Mary wanted it to be strictly herself and the baby’s father to be present.
Mary Fanning had thought about her ‘special’ firstborn many times over the years, but never once considered that she’d have three infants the first time around. She’d certainly inherited the Lanigan genes!
Before the week came that she was due to give birth, Mary’s waters broke. It was Christmas Eve of 2003. There wasn’t time to get Mary into the maternity ward and an emergency district midwife was dispatched to ‘Lanigan Way’.
By the time the midwife arrived, Mary was already stood upright by the side of the bed and the first of three had started to show. The midwife quickly prepared to facilitate the delivery, and instantly realised something was wrong!
After examining Mary, the midwife became alarmed that the baby was coming out feet first and there were signs that the umbilical cord was wrapped around the infant’s neck.
Mary pushed as instructed and ten minutes later her firstborn was born two minutes into Christmas Day, with two more little ones waiting to follow on behind.
For a minute or two, Mary’s firstborn, didn’t breathe and her face started to turn blue. The midwife held the baby’s mouth open and breathed into it half a dozen times and was eventually relieved when the baby screamed.
Mary wasn’t at all surprised to learn it was a girl. As the baby was wrapped up and placed safely down, the midwife proceeded to deliver the second child and then the third of the triplet girls.
Within the space of little more than forty minutes, the joy of Mary’s parenthood turned to painful agony as the second and third babies were pronounced ‘stillborn’. Rory didn’t know what to do and how to respond when he learned how sour his Christmas celebrations had turned.
He found it hard to rejoice that the first child the midwife had delivered lived, while he grieved for the death of the other two. The feelings of joy and sadness were irreconcilable, and he was left confused; not knowing how to respond to Mary’s distress.
As he moved across to Mary in the bed, he didn’t know where to place his emotions and gently placed his arms around her with tears in his eyes. Mary cried at the loss of the other two infants who never made it into this world alive as she cradled the living child to her breast. Rory cried with her.
The midwife was also shocked at the two infants that were stillborn as it isn’t usual for stillborn pregnancies to go their full term. Without asking permission, the midwife opened a large Gladstone bag she carried and after wrapping the two stillborn in two pieces of clean white linen cloth, she placed each infant body carefully inside her bag and clasped it closed.
“I’m so sorry to burden you with this at this moment in time,” she asked Rory and Mary, “but will you want the stillborn back for burial or would you prefer me to arrange disposal with it being the Christmas season and fewer funeral directors available before the New Year?”
Mary and Rory instinctively shuddered at the term ‘disposal’. Mary tersely replied, “No! Return the bodies of my two babies to me. I’ll arrange their burial, thank you very much, even if I’ve to do it myself!”
“I’ll have to take the two babies away with me for the present and after they’ve been registered they can be returned to your charge for either burial or cremation,” the midwife said; careful not to cause any further unintentional offence to the grieving parents.
Nine days later, arrangements had been made to bury the two stillborn on January 6th, 2004. It would seem that they also were trapped and deprived of oxygen when being delivered.
Mary had registered all three babies she’d delivered, one born healthily and the other two stillborn. All three were registered under similar Christian names. The living child was named Mary, and the other two were called Marion and Marianne under the surname of Munt-Fanning. The burial of Marion and Marianne was kept secret from the rest of the extensive family. Mary wanted it to be strictly herself and the baby’s father to be present.
~~~~~
After the burial of the two stillborn, Marion and Marianne, Mary Fanning and Rory tried to settle down to life with their healthy daughter, the infant Mary. Her mother bought baby Mary everything that money could purchase; a super cot, the best buggy and pram on the market and mobiles galore to stimulate its little brain as her daughter watched them spin around with the slightest movement of air in the nursery room.
Naturally the feelings of both parents were mixed with an emotional cloud of happiness and sadness. Despite the cruel twist of fate that Christmas Day, 2003 had provided them with, Mary and Rory became more determined than ever to continue their quest for a larger family.
After Mary had switched from breast feeding to bottled milk in April 2004, the couple pressed ahead to get back into the saddle again. Within three months their efforts were rewarded, and Mary Fanning told Rory that she was pregnant again.
Naturally the feelings of both parents were mixed with an emotional cloud of happiness and sadness. Despite the cruel twist of fate that Christmas Day, 2003 had provided them with, Mary and Rory became more determined than ever to continue their quest for a larger family.
After Mary had switched from breast feeding to bottled milk in April 2004, the couple pressed ahead to get back into the saddle again. Within three months their efforts were rewarded, and Mary Fanning told Rory that she was pregnant again.
~~~~~
As the birth of the new baby approached, Mary and Rory were determined to leave nothing to chance this time. The baby was due on the second week of January 2005 and on the third of January, Mary was booked into a private hospital in Kilkenny, where all the medical attention she could possibly need would be on hand until the baby was delivered.
Rory and their daughter Mary visited daily although it proved too cold to bring little Mary to see her mum during three days of frosty weather.
Mary and Rory knew that their next child to be born would be a boy and this news pleased Rory more than Mary would have believed. Besides, it would be nice to have a daughter and son born within a year of each other.
On January 9th, 2005, after Mary started having bad stomach pains, the doctor decided to induce the birth after they discovered that the baby was distressed.
Mary was hurried to the theatre and although a hospital member of staff phoned Rory at home to tell him that they were going to induce labour, by the time he got to the hospital, it was all over.
Before induction commenced, Mary was informed of certain dangers and asked to sign a consent to procedure form.
“I’m afraid we will have to induce labour Ms. Fanning if we are to minimise risk to both yourself and the baby,” the Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology told Mary.
“I must tell you though that inducing labour involves making your body/baby do something it’s not yet ready to do, and once the induction starts, we are committed to continuing with the induction, as halting it poses greater risks than carrying on and getting the baby out. You will have an IV drip in place which restricts movement and your ability to work with the contractions. Induced contractions become much stronger more quickly and are often harder to cope with, so there is a greater chance that you will need to request an epidural if it gets too hard to cope with.”
“I know it’s a lot to take on board, Ms. Fanning, but I am obliged to tell you of these risks. Do we have your permission to proceed?” the consultant asked.
“Mary nodded 'Yes’ and signed the form that was presented to her.
The induction seemed to be going okay until it became clear that the baby delivered had been born with respiratory problems, low blood sugar, jaundice, an irregular heart beat and an inability to stabilise his temperature.
The infant was too poorly to be passed to Mary to immediately bond with and was placed inside a neonatal incubator which offered a controlled environment and an oxygen control valve.
When Rory arrived, he was naturally upset to have Mary’s birth delivery dangerously complicated once more. All the couple could do was to watch, worry and wait.
At 2.00 am on January 10th, 2004, the son that was to be named John went limp, stopped breathing, and died in the incubator. Mary was suddenly woken from her sleep, as was Rory, who was in the patient’s waiting room, nursing little Mary who was fast asleep. The couple were distraught to hear the shocking news. Mary needed sedating to get any sleep over the next three nights while a heavily bereaved Rory took little Mary home until her mother was ready to be discharged.
Mary was discharged and eventually returned home three days later. She remained heavily medicated and had been strictly ordered to rest for the immediate weeks ahead. Having now lost three children, Mary started to consider herself as being a total failure as a mother having only managed to give birth to one healthy infant from four possible. She was distraught and tinkered on the edge of an emotional breakdown. Only the presence of her daughter, little Mary, and the fact that the young girl needed her mother, kept Mary from committing suicide.
As regarding her partner Rory, he remained permanently angry and became emotionally volatile, exploding in curses and expletives at every little fall out. He didn’t know whom he was angry with though. Not being a practising Catholic, he couldn’t really blame God; and as Mary would have died had the baby not been induced, he couldn’t project blame onto her either, or the consultant performing the induction in an attempt to save the life of both mother and child!
Over the next six months, Mary became overprotective towards her child. She stayed close to her daughter little Mary and wouldn’t let her out of her sight lest she fall over or hurt herself in some other manner.
The couple became emotionally distant and quarrelsome, and daily rows were a common feature in their deteriorating relationship. Five months were to pass before Rory and Mary were to make love again, but even that marital activity which previously had the effect of making everything in the garden rosy, now seemed to offer no more pleasure or excitement to either party.
When Mary’s two stillborn were buried, they occupied a grave plot alongside Mary’s parents and siblings in Clonmel. As with the deaths of all her babies, none of Mary’s extensive family were informed. Mary was cohabiting, not married, and as far as some of her relatives were concerned, Mary knew they would frown on her ‘living in sin’ were they to learn of her real circumstances.
When infant John, who hadn’t spent one day on earth also died, Mary had his little body buried in the same plot as his two stillborn siblings.
A marble headstone with the statue of an angel on top had been commissioned by Mary with the inscription carved: ‘Rest in peace my little ones. Mammy loves you’. And while Mary had inscribed the names of the three deceased children, Marianne Munt-Fanning, Marion Munt-Fanning and John Munt-Fanning, publicly declaring them to be the offspring of her partner, Rory, she had nevertheless commissioned the headstone without consultation with Rory. Had he been consulted, Rory would have merely altered the inscription to include his loss also, by having the headstone read: ‘Rest in peace little ones. Mammy and Daddy love you.’
Rory and their daughter Mary visited daily although it proved too cold to bring little Mary to see her mum during three days of frosty weather.
Mary and Rory knew that their next child to be born would be a boy and this news pleased Rory more than Mary would have believed. Besides, it would be nice to have a daughter and son born within a year of each other.
On January 9th, 2005, after Mary started having bad stomach pains, the doctor decided to induce the birth after they discovered that the baby was distressed.
Mary was hurried to the theatre and although a hospital member of staff phoned Rory at home to tell him that they were going to induce labour, by the time he got to the hospital, it was all over.
Before induction commenced, Mary was informed of certain dangers and asked to sign a consent to procedure form.
“I’m afraid we will have to induce labour Ms. Fanning if we are to minimise risk to both yourself and the baby,” the Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology told Mary.
“I must tell you though that inducing labour involves making your body/baby do something it’s not yet ready to do, and once the induction starts, we are committed to continuing with the induction, as halting it poses greater risks than carrying on and getting the baby out. You will have an IV drip in place which restricts movement and your ability to work with the contractions. Induced contractions become much stronger more quickly and are often harder to cope with, so there is a greater chance that you will need to request an epidural if it gets too hard to cope with.”
“I know it’s a lot to take on board, Ms. Fanning, but I am obliged to tell you of these risks. Do we have your permission to proceed?” the consultant asked.
“Mary nodded 'Yes’ and signed the form that was presented to her.
The induction seemed to be going okay until it became clear that the baby delivered had been born with respiratory problems, low blood sugar, jaundice, an irregular heart beat and an inability to stabilise his temperature.
The infant was too poorly to be passed to Mary to immediately bond with and was placed inside a neonatal incubator which offered a controlled environment and an oxygen control valve.
When Rory arrived, he was naturally upset to have Mary’s birth delivery dangerously complicated once more. All the couple could do was to watch, worry and wait.
At 2.00 am on January 10th, 2004, the son that was to be named John went limp, stopped breathing, and died in the incubator. Mary was suddenly woken from her sleep, as was Rory, who was in the patient’s waiting room, nursing little Mary who was fast asleep. The couple were distraught to hear the shocking news. Mary needed sedating to get any sleep over the next three nights while a heavily bereaved Rory took little Mary home until her mother was ready to be discharged.
Mary was discharged and eventually returned home three days later. She remained heavily medicated and had been strictly ordered to rest for the immediate weeks ahead. Having now lost three children, Mary started to consider herself as being a total failure as a mother having only managed to give birth to one healthy infant from four possible. She was distraught and tinkered on the edge of an emotional breakdown. Only the presence of her daughter, little Mary, and the fact that the young girl needed her mother, kept Mary from committing suicide.
As regarding her partner Rory, he remained permanently angry and became emotionally volatile, exploding in curses and expletives at every little fall out. He didn’t know whom he was angry with though. Not being a practising Catholic, he couldn’t really blame God; and as Mary would have died had the baby not been induced, he couldn’t project blame onto her either, or the consultant performing the induction in an attempt to save the life of both mother and child!
Over the next six months, Mary became overprotective towards her child. She stayed close to her daughter little Mary and wouldn’t let her out of her sight lest she fall over or hurt herself in some other manner.
The couple became emotionally distant and quarrelsome, and daily rows were a common feature in their deteriorating relationship. Five months were to pass before Rory and Mary were to make love again, but even that marital activity which previously had the effect of making everything in the garden rosy, now seemed to offer no more pleasure or excitement to either party.
When Mary’s two stillborn were buried, they occupied a grave plot alongside Mary’s parents and siblings in Clonmel. As with the deaths of all her babies, none of Mary’s extensive family were informed. Mary was cohabiting, not married, and as far as some of her relatives were concerned, Mary knew they would frown on her ‘living in sin’ were they to learn of her real circumstances.
When infant John, who hadn’t spent one day on earth also died, Mary had his little body buried in the same plot as his two stillborn siblings.
A marble headstone with the statue of an angel on top had been commissioned by Mary with the inscription carved: ‘Rest in peace my little ones. Mammy loves you’. And while Mary had inscribed the names of the three deceased children, Marianne Munt-Fanning, Marion Munt-Fanning and John Munt-Fanning, publicly declaring them to be the offspring of her partner, Rory, she had nevertheless commissioned the headstone without consultation with Rory. Had he been consulted, Rory would have merely altered the inscription to include his loss also, by having the headstone read: ‘Rest in peace little ones. Mammy and Daddy love you.’
