MY MEMORIES

Charles Glenn Petersen

1962 - Wisconsin Years I

Charles II

In the early morning of January 3, 1963, Winnie woke me up and said it was time to go to the hospital, our first child was ready to be born. When we got to Theta Clark hospital, just 8 or 10 blocks from our apartment, they took Winnie away and sent me to a waiting room. In those days the father was not allowed to be with his wife in either the labor room nor in the delivery room, he was not part of the process anymore not in anyway, just a not so innocent bystander.

I was told that if the women was in labor for a long time I might be able to see her. In this situation, about an hour and 40 minutes later a doctor came into the Waiting Room and asked for Charles Petersen. When I stood up he said congratulations you are the father of a healthy baby boy and your wife is doing fine. I wasn’t able to see my son nor Winnie for another hour or so. When I did get to see them, the baby was sleeping and Winnie was kind of in and out as the drugs wore off. Then I was shooed out until visiting hours in the afternoon. By now it was daylight and with nothing to do nor anywhere to go, I went to the office. When I got there and told people about being a new father they asked me what I was doing there in the office and was told to go home.