Southbridge Recollections -
"I
planned that well" - Jan Whitney recalls Dr. Piopii's reaction to
Dicks Birth in 1951
1954 Photo by Don Whitney of
Harrington Hosptial
Dick was born on August 11, 1951 at Harrington Memorial Hospital. Our
daughter Susan was born 3 years earlier in Newtonville, as at that time
we were new to Southbridge and not yet comfortable enough with the Dr.s
available as her birth occurred 5 months after settling in town. By the
time of Dicks delivery, we had come to know people and had selected Dr.
Nero Pioppi. He delivered Dick and was his Dr. as well until switching
to Dr. Roy a number of years later.
During the delivery, I recall being told that we had a son, and my
reply was "Gee, I planned that well", for I was very happy to have a
girl and now a boy. Immediately after saying that, I was sternly
lectured by Dr. Pioppi (and the attending Delivery nurse) that "You
should not plan your children!!!" Being a strict Catholic in a primarly
Catholic town, Dr. Pioppi had assumed I meant I had planned our
Children using Birth control, which he was obviously opposed to.
Imagine this happening today!
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