Clothes are prepared for first baby but if the baby dies or is still born the clothes are given away. If not the next baby will died.
Don't take presents for baby before it is born
When baby is born wrap it in mother's red flannel petticoat. This was always done in my time and then the midwife handed the new-born child to my mother.
This covers period 1884 to 1900 or 00
With this generation old flannel petticoats" are gone out of use. The nurse takes some other undergarment of the young mothers to wrap up the new-born infant.Mark Bouck"Caul" is said to be very lucky. If baby is born with caul, the caul is taken with the baby when it is being baptised.
When I was a little one I saw a baby's caul in our own house. We kept it drawn out stretched upon something to keep it so. I remember a sea-captain advertised for a baby's caul - he would give £5 for one and that was big money in those days but my mother wouldn't sell the one she had.Anaithnid