NOW WE ARE FOUR

Little Henry Moore was born on September 7th--welcome to the world, sweet boy! My stay at the maternity hospital was not all fun and games, but we did have a few laughs, thanks to the very English art of understatement.

The anaesthetist, describing the potential (serious, but unlikely) side effects of an epidural, referred to them as "a bit of a bore." Later, while he was putting a drinking straw- sized cannula in my arm, the midwife asked him if he wanted some gauze and he said, "I should HOPE not.")

My doctor, given a too-large piece of doctor kit: "I call that over-enthusiastic." And best of all, a midwife called Pat Death, on her name: "People tend to remember it."

I'm going to indulge in some American enthusiasm and say we couldn't have done it without them. Or at least, we wouldn't have wanted to. (And if Death offers to give your baby a bath, you best take her up on it.)