Giving birth in the 60s & 70s, what was it like?

My first baby was born in Canada in the '70s. The ante-natal classes were priceless - here are two of the many gems:

"Bladder infections in pregnancy are more common in women than men."

The anatomical diagrams of the female reproductive system used to explain how labour proceeds, were those of a rabbit!!

Midwives were not allowed to deliver babies, so when my labour proceeded more quickly than expected, they frantically tannoyed the doctor across the hospital, practically leaning on the baby to stop him coming before the doctor arrived to catch him.

The birth of my second baby in England three years later couldn't have been more different. I was looked after by the same lovely midwife throughout pregnancy and delivery. I gave birth in the calm, friendly atmosphere of the local cottage hospital. In those days, we were kept in for five days.

My mother gave birth to me at home. When she asked the midwife whether I was a boy or a girl, the midwife replied "I'm not telling you Mrs ---, you've been very naughty!" I suspect that the alleged 'naughtiness' had something to do with my mother being tiny and my weighing in at almost 9 1/2 pounds!

My first was in 1972 when i was just 17, she was induced as she was overdue, had gas and 4 stitches dont remember having stirrups and out of hospital after 3 days. 2nd baby in 1975, he came fast, again had gas, no problems. 3rd in 1978, again had gas (love that gas) but nothing else out of the ordinary. As far as I can remember all mine were pretty easy no enemas, no stirrups, although on thinking I do remember being shaved

My first baby came after 24 hour labour. I was left alone for hours and eventually had a forceps delivery. Didn’t see baby till next morning. This was 1969 but 3 years later it was completely different. Husband was allowed with me and although baby was almost born on the loo it was a much nicer experience.

1961, shaved and enema in hospital and two weeks before coming home, then 1965 similar but at home with husband present!! Again two weeks bed rest with midwives visiting and 'home help'. How things have changed, not sure if for the better though.

My two children were both delivered by C Section, and I was in hospital for 10 days. With my second child I had caught a bad cold before operation, and was kept in hospital using a vapour steam device to help clear it.

First delivery in 1971 after 32 hour labour. Wasn't shaved or given enemma. Husband allowed with me all the time though he did have to go home for a bit of shut eye. Was given pethedine. DD with me from birth. Worst bit of whole experience was being in hospital for 10 days and the 17 stitches.
Second delivery 1974 with twins. Twins not diagnosed until 6 weeks before due date (no scans in those days). Shipped into hospital as soon as discovered as was calculated I had actually lost weight even though I had put weight on. Went into labour only 4 days before date. No ennema or shave. No drugs. Having complained for two weeks of a horrendously painful back, unable to sleep, bed tilted one then the other way to try to relieve pressure as was thought just normal with two babies discovered after 8 hours that 1st baby was a brow presentation and was holding up proceedings. Forceps fir delivery. Second baby then decided to slip around with space and became breech. Both safely delivered just under 7 lbs each and yes I had lost 20 lbs in weight. DH allowed in at anytime. Given all that happened I had wonderful care. Kept in for three weeks, being allowed to escape for a day as DH was best man at a wedding. Wanted to make sure I started to put weight on. Given 3 course meals of basically anything I liked. I was the envy of the ward.

First baby in hospital 1963.
Gas and air which made me throw up.
Ten day stay in hospital. Daily exercises in bed with a very interested window cleaner looking in!
Smoking on the ward!!!' Stub it out before babies brought in on a trolley for feeding.
Second baby at home 1967. New Years Eve so had been at a neighbour's for a party, first child asleep in their bedroom, where she stayed until morning.
Scottish midwife who I'd never met before arrived at 4am and said " I hope you haven't brought me out on a wild goose chase"
Baby born two hours later.
Awful woman. Husband allowed to stay but was useless, got in the way and when presented with new daughter said he was hoping for a boy!
Midwife told him to go and make himself useful.
Health visitor arrived at 10 am and shooed three year old out of bedroom. No children allowed around baby until health checks completed.
Third child was 25 years later! Second husband desperate for a child.
Because I was 46, had to be in hospital with full obstetric team including consultant. Midwives not impressed having him around. I had elected to have an epidural this time to make it easier but left it too late so had no pain relief.
Birth was normal, including same sixteen hour labour as first two. Apart from the option of an epidural the experience was pretty similar to my first two all those years before. Midwives a bit friendlier perhaps.
Not like these days with music, birthing pools, whole family present etc.

I was doing alright till I was given Pethedine with my first child which rendered me unable to speak I felt so far away but the pain intensified I was told to push far too early and was sick for 24 hours. When I had my second and third children I wasn't given Pethedine and it was a million times happier and easier experience.

I had an epidural at St Mary’s Paddington in 1976. Shaved. I think episiotomy was routine though I think it was later found natural tearing healed quicker. Several days in hospital. Baby in crib by bed but could go into nursery if mother needed a rest. I insisted on breast feeding without drawing curtains round myself which I felt attached shame.

nankate. I had a face presentation birth too - really difficult isn’t it but I managed somehow without any painkiller. However, I was in the GP unit and because of the difficulty my doctor had to be called from home at lunchtime. I kept apologising that the birth was taking so long and he said he’d have to phone home to ask his son to put the swedes in. I never did ask whether he meant, in a pot, in the ground or whether they were expecting Swedish visitors.

Had my first son just after doing the midwifery part of my MH nurse training so knew some of the staff so was treated more like a person with a brain than most new mums .
I discharged myself after 48 hours much to the disgust of the consultant. After my next son 16 months later he just shrugged his shoulders and let me go without a fuss .

First baby in 1977. Started spotting at 9am in the morning, was having twinges all through the morning and phoned the hospital at 2pm and was told to come in. Husband only got home at 5pm, had something to eat, then we drove to the hospital which was a good hour and a half drive away. Stopped on the way as the pains were getting worse. Arrived at the hospital in time for a shave and enema and was left all alone in the theatre whilst I screamed my head off in pain. No medications were given, no gas and air. My husband was called into the theatre to help with holding me up and I delivered my daughter without the aid of stirrups - I was told to hold my own legs. The doctor cut me and I had stitches. I saw my baby the next day. The nurses used an infra-red lamp on my vagina to help with the healing, left me under it too long and I ended up with a very sore, red bum and vagina! I was in hospital for a week.
Second baby in 1980. Took castor oil in the morning hoping it would induce labour. Labour pains started about 11pm at night. Drive to the hospital at midnight. We had to push the car to get it started - husband with the drivers door open, me behind! Baby was born at 01.55 am. Got to the hospital just in time. No shave, no enema, nothing for the pain. Baby was born very quick and I tore when he came out as he was a whopping 4.5kg. Had stitches again which became infected after a week. Stayed in hospital 2 days.
Those were the days!

Purple ...it was exactly like that. Shave, enema...legs in stirrups for my first in ‘77....by the time my son was born in ‘80 ...it had changed slightly . For one thing I left it til last minute to take myself in on the bus. Couldn’t afford a taxi and husband at work! He was born 3/4 hour after my arrival at hospital ..easily and with just a nurse in attendance...no midwife ..no docs screaming g at me to ‘push’ . Much better experience by a long mile! The only problem was , breast feeding g was ‘back in vigue’ big time at our hospital and I wanted to bottle feed, so I was giving icy cold formula straight from fridge. Fed him o e bottle after running it under the hot tap in loos!! I kid you not !! I discharged myself 3 hours after giving birth. My best friends husband coming to pick me up as husband still at work . Anyway I had a Ida being delivered late afternoon and needed to be there!

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

That’s ‘sofa’ being delivered . Oops!

Saggy what is an Ida?
A type of nanny, something to put on the bed, something to cook on? Please enlighten.

?

Babes born 74 and 78 - very similar procedure, shave, enema ( 2nd one I persuaded them to let me eat whole bag of liquorice all sorts instead ?)gas and air, in 7 days, babies in nursery at night, taught how to bathe and feed, 1st one you swaddled 4yrs later it was on tummy. I couldn’t feed re inversion, so first time got tablet ( no idea what) 2nd time bound. Also 1st time as was in private bit of NHS hospital, they babysat on last night to let you and hubby go for meal, compete with rubber ring to sit on ??

Horrified at these horror stories. Like war stories from the trenches. So sorry for you. I had both my children at home by choice. 1965 and 1967. None of the above mechanics and dramatics Blessed pethedine and gas and air with first one. 8 hour process. Brilliant Midwife got out her knitting and stayed the whole time. No doctors or stirrups etc. Second midwife nearly missed the Event. Also no phone and she had a journey. Too late for gas and air. 'The machine needs time to warm up.' she said He was there within 20 minutes Had a four ounce feed after an hour. Then slept for 2 hours. He is still a great delight.

My son was born in 1976 in South Africa at Mother's Hospital in Durban. In those days we had no idea of the sex of the baby beforehand, so a big surprise.
My husband was allowed in the delivery suite during the birth and was the first to hold him.
I too was shaved and given an enema, by a midwife I'd given a hard time to when she was a student nurse - sweet revenge, she smiled!!
Had to have a vacuum extraction and an episiotomy which hurt more than the actual 'natural' birth.
Then we were kept for several days in the hospital, unlike today where new mums are sent home almost immediately.
I wasn't able to breastfeed and my son suffered from severe colic for 9 months which was a nightmare. We only learned he had a genetic disease (ankylosing spondylitis) when he was a teenager.
I never had another child after that, which was probably just as well as I became a single mum when he was 3!

Hesitate to add to these tales of wow but I had twins in 1960 and never had any more.
It was dreadful.
In Labour 40 hours. Kept dozy with pethedine.. Lay looking at my watch to see how long before drugs took effect.
After 1st daughter born (7.13lbs) incubator wheeled out for 2nd daughter.. Perineum cut to help her out (8.1lbs). 6 minutes later out she slid. They were very kind to me in the Labour ward.
Left in ward after early morning wakeup call "to rest.. She's just had twins". Didn't see babies for 2 days.. Pretty unwell. In hospital 3 weeks as I lost my sense of balance and had the bed end up on blocks.
Shown how breastfeed but really needed 3 arms.. Managed it for 10 weeks.
Husband.. Well it was a case of who is he?..
Life was transformed a few yrs later when the Pill was available
This is one memory lane I'm so glad is history.. Daughters birth experiences nothing like mine.

When I had my first baby, hospital places were limited, and I only got in as an 'elderly primagravida'...at 30!
Babies were whisked off to nursery. My daughter was cot-nursed for 24 hours because of forceps delivery, so I didn't see her till next day, though my husband was allowed to.look at her through the window.
Then it was rigid 4 hour feeding, with babies brought in and swiftly taken away. We could hear them all screaming for an hour or so before time, and then had to try to wake them as they were exhausted!
Ten days in hospital, with everyone desperate to go home to do things their own way.
My son was born in the same hospital 18 months later with a complete change of regime. Small wards of four....there's your baby, get on with it.
We were also desperate to go home to get more chance of sleep, with only one baby around.

I too had a ' face presentation ' in a London Maternity hospital in 1970. Had all the things described plus a forceps delivery. My son was then 'cot nursed' for 48 hours and couldn't be picked up or nursed for this time ! I felt so bad I couldn't protest and husband didn't see him 'til the second day. Put me off for ten years, had second son in 1980. A better experience.

First baby born in 1963, at home. I was 21, and if you were healthy there was no chance of a hospital birth. My midwife was a bit if a tartar, but good. She arrived in a little car, a bit like ‘Call the Midwife’. She was a music lover, and she and DH were listening to a record, while I was left to get on with things in the bedroom! I don’t remember a shave or enema, but do remember DH being given a newspaper wrapped parcel, to bury in the garden. I had an episiotomy, the Dr was called out and stitched me up. But it was more like a gathering stitch, drawn up tightly. He weighed in at 8lbs 12 ozs and bed rest was for several days.
Baby no2, also born at home, in 1966. I was in the middle of a nasty cold/ flu type thing, so don’t remember much. She weighed 9 lbs 4ozs, and slept for 18 hours after birth.
Baby no 3, a boy, born in 1975 and weighed in at 9lbs 9 ozs. By then we had moved and as I was an ‘older’ mother, I had to have him in hospital. He had been breech, and I do remember the Dr’s trying to turn him round, not a comfortable feeling. He decided to flip himself a few days before he was born. DH had just gone home, when baby decided to make a speedy entrance to the world.
No gas and air with the first two, but I did enjoy it with no 3.
(One breakfast in hospital was two, cold, fish fingers, on a large plate.)
I was moved to the local cottage hospital after a couple of days, which was wonderful. Just like being at home.

1970 - waters broken as baby was 3 days late! no shave, no enema. 4 hour labour with pethadin injection and gas and air - dr cut me and i was sewed up crooked!! baby girl was 8.8 lb.
went home the following day - hate hospitals - midwife cut stitches much to my relief. didn't want to breastfeed so didn't. husband present at birth.
1973 to the day - had castor oil and warm water enema as i was determined to give my daughter the brother she wanted for her birthday present.
waters broke - 2 hour labour. no time to get to hospital so baby delivered by midwife with husband doing up her apron! no pethadine, no gas and air, nothing!! baby boy was 9.5 lb.
didn't stay in bed long with either of them.
incidentally, when she was about 7 my daughter wanted her brother sent back as he was faulty!! no idea why.