[heartwood]

I find it rather odd that a woman would confide in her son this deeply, describing all her miscarriages one by one.

Maybe Mannion asked his mother why he was an only child, if she had wanted more children.

I am a married mother and my children know about the babies I lost. The babies I lost were not some private gynecological detail to make others squeamish; I was not pregnant with miscarriages; I was pregnant with babies, my children's siblings, and they died. Miscarriage is a devastating loss compounded by the loneliness and secrecy surrounding it.

[lee martell]

Thank you for explaining. My sympathies for your loss.
That’s an area I still don’t know much about.