I think this happened to my Momma...

A woman in Ft. Smith stinkin' Arkansas has conceived two babies weeks apart. (Man...lots of news out of stinkin' Arkansas today, huh?) In fact, Ft. Smith is right close to where The Mrs. is tonight...she's in Ozark. But I digress.

In 1962, my Momma was due to deliver a child for the 4th time. Her baby was due on my big sister's birthday (August 28). As the third child, I was also due on August 28, but was a week late. (A pattern emerges!)

About three months before the due date, Momma became very ill...had much pain...and had to be hospitalized. She spent the next many weeks suffering in a hospital while trying to hold on to the baby. On July 19, 1962 she went into labor and delivered my baby brother, David.

But there was also another baby that came during the delivery. He had been dead for quite a while in her womb. Momma and Daddy named him "Dean Austin," and buried him at Hillcrest Cemetery. It was a tough time for all...

Us 3 kids had really missed our Momma being home, and poor Daddy mostly ran back and forth to the hospital while trying to hold down the fort at his business. Helluva man he is! Was then, and still is! It must have been just torturous for Momma and Daddy... Us kids were well cared for by Rose, and our grandparents...but we knew something was bad wrong.

After the delivery of my baby brother, the doctors speculated that the babies had actually been conceived at different times, and that Dean Austin had tried to be born...but he was above David in the womb, and his effort to reach life had been stalled by David...thus causing all the pain and his eventual death in the womb. Dunno! The doctors did not really know either, but when I read this story the whole thing made much more sense.

Pam and I named our oldest son after "Dean Austin" in honor of Momma's effort...and her love for the little one we never knew.