https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 15 Apr 2026 07:46:35 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-downton-abby-slip-and-fall-season-2-spoiler#post-739036 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:29:49 +0000 MrsH 739036@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I got the impression she slipped on the bar of soap/lye. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-downton-abby-slip-and-fall-season-2-spoiler#post-739024 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:26:38 +0000 T.H.O.U. 739024@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This website actually shows the shot of OBrien shoving the bar of soap in the way. </p> <p><a href="http://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/downton-abbey-surprising-and-unforgettable-scenes/" rel="nofollow">http://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2011/01/31/downton-abbey-surprising-and-unforgettable-scenes/</a></p> <p>Warning that link has Season 2 spoilers. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-downton-abby-slip-and-fall-season-2-spoiler#post-739013 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:22:28 +0000 T.H.O.U. 739013@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: Here is another description: </p> <p><a href="http://downtonabbey.wikia.com/wiki/Sarah_O%27Brien" rel="nofollow">http://downtonabbey.wikia.com/wiki/Sarah_O%27Brien</a> </p> <p>Later, Sarah overhears Violet and Cora talking and learns that Cora is advertising and receiving applications for a lady's maid. Believing her career is about to be ended without any regard for her, Sarah foolishly lashes out at the pregnant Cora, deliberately moving a piece of dropped soap from under the tub for Cora to slip on. Just as Sarah second guesses her action and calls out for Cora to wait, Cora exits the tub and falls badly, causing her to lose the little boy that she was carrying. Stricken by remorse, especially when she discovers that her job was always secure and Cora was trying to help Violet find a maid, Sarah presumably spends the years between 1914-1916 increasing her devotion and swearing to protect Cora. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-downton-abby-slip-and-fall-season-2-spoiler#post-739001 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:19:43 +0000 Foodnerd81 739001@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So now I'm intrigued! Found this site: <a href="http://trmbaby.com/fertility-medicine-and-downton-abbey/" rel="nofollow">http://trmbaby.com/fertility-medicine-and-downton-abbey/</a> </p> <p>Cora Crawley’s Pregnancy and Miscarriage</p> <p>Background: Despite what must have been at least 15 years of unprotected intercourse, Cora Crawley had not conceived a child after her daughter, Sybil was born. In fact, she was transitioning to menopause, when she was discovered to be pregnant! This is just what Lord Grantham had been hoping for, another chance at a male heir of his own.</p> <p>Dr. Clarkson explained how all of this happened to the astonished Lord and his wife, saying that age associated menstrual changes can bring about a sudden “surge” in fertility. He also said their was no reason to believe that the baby would not be healthy.</p> <p>Then tragedy strikes. O’Brien, Cora’s maid, misinterprets several conversations and wrongly believes that she is going to be fired. In a moment of spite, O’Brien hands Cora the wrong bar of soap during Cora’s bath… and within minutes Cora has lost the baby. We learn that it was a healthy boy.</p> <p>Medical Reality: By all accounts, Cora would be in her 40s when this child was conceived. Since the 1950s, it has been well known that natural fertility actually declines with age. However, it is easy to understand why Dr. Clarkson might say some women have a sudden “surge” in fertility.</p> <p>Due to elevations in FSH, some women who did not ovulate frequently on their own, may start to ovulate when this occurs. Elevations in FSH can also increase the chance of twins. So Dr. Clarkson is not completely wrong about this “surge.” His statement was consistent with what was generally known at that time.</p> <p>Also, during this time, it was not widely recognized that older women had more “dyskyesis” or recurrent miscarriage – probably in part because pregnancies were actually more rare in this age group. So Dr. Clarkson’s assumption that the baby should be healthy was based on general medical knowledge and possibly by the tendency of the time to not alarm patients.</p> <p>So what about soap and miscarriage?</p> <p>The soap in question is almost certainly lye soap, which is harsh by today’s standards and thus not used much today. It is true that lye injected into the uterus was used as an agent to induce abortions, but soaping up with lye (even in a tub) would not be the cause of her abortion.<br /> <br /> The likely cause of the miscarriage was either genetic abnormality of the baby, or perhaps Cora had developed an incompetent cervix or a uterine fibroid that made her more prone to miscarriage.</p> <p>O’Brien did not cause Cora’s miscarriage, but certainly her foul heart justifies her horror and guilt over the whole affair. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-downton-abby-slip-and-fall-season-2-spoiler#post-738984 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:15:51 +0000 nana87 738984@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@T.H.O.U.: oh see, i thought she put the lye there and kicked the real soap under the tub so that Cora would use the wrong bar </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-downton-abby-slip-and-fall-season-2-spoiler#post-738978 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:14:15 +0000 T.H.O.U. 738978@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@nana87: No, the guilt comes because Cora drops the bar of soap and it breaks in half. When Mrs. Obrien comes to pick it up for her, she moves the one half to the edge of the tub and hands Cora back the other half. Mrs. Obrien leaves the room and thinks about what she has done when she hears Cora saying she's ready to get out of the tub. Mrs. Obrien feels guilty and tries to tell Cora to wait for her to help her, but its too late and as Cora steps out of the tub, she slips on the other half of the bar of soap. </p> <p>Where do they show her putting Lye in the tub? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-downton-abby-slip-and-fall-season-2-spoiler#post-738969 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 09:10:57 +0000 nana87 738969@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>no no no guys--o'brien puts lye, which was sometimes used as an abortifacient back then, there INSTEAD of soap and the bath therefore is burning cora's skin: that's what makes her miscarry, not the fall. or maybe it's the combination, but lye is definitely NOT soap! it's an ingredient but lye alone is really dangerous, and it was used for cleaning purposes, like rugs and stuff, not human skin. going forward, o'brien's guilt about purposefully putting the lye there instead of soap is a big plot point </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-downton-abby-slip-and-fall-season-2-spoiler#post-738924 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 08:53:53 +0000 T.H.O.U. 738924@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@tinyperson: Thanks, I changed the title. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-downton-abby-slip-and-fall-season-2-spoiler#post-738923 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 08:53:38 +0000 T.H.O.U. 738923@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@MrsCB: Don't spoil anything but yes, I agree a lot is really contrived. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-downton-abby-slip-and-fall-season-2-spoiler#post-738845 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 08:22:21 +0000 tinyperson 738845@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Btw - the miscarriage was season 1 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-downton-abby-slip-and-fall-season-2-spoiler#post-738843 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 08:22:13 +0000 ShootingStar 738843@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yeah, it was definitely from slipping on the bar of soap. I'm not sure how far along she was, I'd guess no more than 5 months? I think it took her a few months to catch on, so maybe she figured it out around 3. But the baby was far enough along that they knew it was a boy. </p> <p>I thought the whole thing was pretty contrived too. She just happened to step right on the soap, and the fall was bad enough to make her lose the baby? It's not like she fell down the stairs.</p> <p>But then a lot of what goes on is pretty contrived if you think about it. I won't give examples in case you're not there yet ;). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-downton-abby-slip-and-fall-season-2-spoiler#post-738836 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 08:19:04 +0000 Foodnerd81 738836@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I thought it was slipping on the bar of soap that obrien put there too. And yeah I really wondered about how a little fall would make her lose the baby- but it also makes me really carefully getting in and out of the shower. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-downton-abby-slip-and-fall-season-2-spoiler#post-738763 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 07:48:48 +0000 T.H.O.U. 738763@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sera_87: Yes I agree, I thought she was earlier on because she wasn't showing. </p> <p>@nana87: I agree, I thought it was the bar of soap that she slipped on. Because when Cora goes to get out, she feels guilty and says Wait, I will help you. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-downton-abby-slip-and-fall-season-2-spoiler#post-738718 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 07:21:20 +0000 sera_87 738718@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@nana87: I was under the impression that the slip &amp; fall caused it &amp; that lye = soap. It's not like she ingested it.m</p> <p>Tbh, I thought it was just lazy writing/contrived plot point. I also thought she was way earlier in her pregnancy than 25 weeks ? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-downton-abby-slip-and-fall-season-2-spoiler#post-738708 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 07:16:56 +0000 nana87 738708@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>oh, it wasn't the fall that made Cora lose the baby-- O'Brien put lye or something similar in the water that was the issue </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-downton-abby-slip-and-fall-season-2-spoiler#post-738689 Wed, 24 Apr 2013 06:57:37 +0000 T.H.O.U. 738689@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm going to put this NBR. </p> <p>So, in Downton Abby, the mother Cora gets pregnant again after having her three daughters. They hope its a boy and an heir to the estate. </p> <p>&lt;&lt; SPOILER &gt;&gt;</p> <p>But then she slips and falls coming out of the bath tub and looses the baby. I've got a few questions: </p> <p>1. What are the odds that you slip and fall and it induces labor (around that point of pregnancy)? I assume these odds are the same today? </p> <p>2. I assume she was maybe around 15-25 weeks? Maybe 30 weeks? I understand that a baby born even at 30 weeks in that time period may not have had a high survival rate. </p>