I would like to paraphrase Diana, Princess of Wales here....

If men were the ones who had babies, they would be all be only children.

And to quote someone who is not Oscar Wilde - one should try everything once except incest and folk dancing - to which I would add, and childbirth.

Because Limpit was such an awkward little cuss (was?? Still is - her school report described her as a 'true English eccentric'), and I was supposed to be asthmatic (turns out it was a heart condition... great diagnosis doc!), a section was always on the cards. When it was finally shown she wasn't turning and was wedged in, it was all planned out.

I remember telling the anaesthetist that my back was very sensitive and he remarked that I was the only person who giggled when he counted down the vertebrae. It was at this point, as the needle went in that I said I'd changed my mind and wanted a puppy. He then spent some time talking about real ale with Manitas, whom I'd dragged in with me for no other reason than to swear at, whilst I lost my legs.

I was also put at that strange angle and the barrier errected. The surgeons then put on those face guards that gave me a lovely reflected view in wraparound! I remember very little about the actual operation other than some tugging, the swearing of the surgeon as he dropped an instrument with a clang, a raddled splat as something squidgy hit the floor - causing an amusing backwards leap by the same surgeon whilst his hands stayed perfectly still.... and the anaesthetist looking over and saying 'that's a little girl in there'.

LTS