We are going to step forward in Steve’s life from the early 1930s to April 27, 1938, to celebrate a momentous day in Miklo Family History. Steve and Betty’s first child was born in their rented house on an acreage that is now on the Coalville backtop. The houses are gone and the area is part of the gypsum mills.
Pauline was named after Steve’s mother, Paulína. Her first weeks of life were not easy. Betty came down with Scarlet Fever and was not able to breastfeed her baby. Here’s a story where Betty explains why she did not breastfeed any of her children.
Betty: I tried breastfeeding the first ones. With Pauline, I come down with scarlet fever. I think she was 3 weeks old and they quarantined us in those days and everything. Daddy slept out in the car and my mother got her friend, Josie Kriblehoby, to take the baby and yeah, I had scarlet fever.
And then Helen, I did some hemorrhaging so I didn’t have the strength for the milk. And then Johny, one of my breasts got sore so that ended that. Jim was the first one born in a hospital, I said, “I’m not gonna fight it. Put him on a bottle.”
Bob: Was that common back then? Were bottles common back then?
Betty: Oh yeah. They were glass bottles and they had to be sterilized. We had a great big kettle-like sterilizer, had a little rack in it and they had to be boiled so many minutes. It was Carnation. Yeah, for a while it was a Carnation canned milk (formula). That milk and so much boiled water, everything had to be boiled, on a cook-stove that was fired by cobs or wood. Oh, yes. (end of quote)
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| Here is a picture of the proud parents with baby Pauline. |
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