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

Also had to stay in hospital for two weeks. Five other mothers in ward all bottle feeding. I managed to breast feed, but was discouraged.

I gave birth in 77 husband was banished, told to ring later, then shave and enema. Left in ar room on your own for what stemmed like ages except for the strict nurse popping in asking me to keep the noise down lol. Lay on back with leg in stirrups to give birth, THEN husband allowed in . Then 10 glorious days of learning how to look after your baby from breastfeeding to bathing.
I see today’s young mums being pushed out the same day and despair , they are so exhausted as is their partner. Maybe 10 days was too long but a few days is sensible .

Going on from this post it got me to thinking how when I had a hysterectomy in 1983 my husband had to give permission for it to go ahead! Can you imagine that these days ?

Daughter born in 1974. Pregnancy straightforward so no worries, but she was very active in the womb and so ended up as a ventouse. They used what looked like a plunger to get her turned and out. Sister midwife asked if three of her students could watch the procedure, the the doctor did the same, felt like Paddington Station! Given an epidural which kind of worked although the pain went down my left leg, but then
I knew when to push. Son, two years later turned out to be a Caesarean as he was so big 10lb 3oz. Knew nothing about the birth, but boy did he make his presence felt. Supplement feeding from the word go. He was nick- named Buster by the nurses. Midwives were brusque, matter of fact and stood no nonsense from anyone. I was an ‘elderly primagravida’ because I was in my late 20’s!

Had first in hospital. 1971. - was given the usual (then) shave and enema. Baby came eventually after forceps delivery and long anxious labour. Can remember being given oxygen because I was gasping for breath. Had gas and air at some point. She was born with the cord round her neck and face up the wrong way. Then, if there had been what they termed "birth trauma" babies were cot nursed. I wasn't allowed to hold her for 24 hours until the delivery doctor - a lovely Indian lady in a sari - came onto the ward to visit me because she'd been worried about me and told them to fetch my baby and leave her with me. I was in tears. I was transferred to the GP baby unit where she was supposed to have been born and stayed in there for 5 days. We changed, fed and bathed our babies and were given lots of support there. It was large, converted Victorian house and we were 2 Mums to a room. All on the NHS.
The second birth was very different. 1974. Mild labour from midnight and then rushing to hospital and barely getting there. A push or two and there she was - yawning and peaceful. Home and up and about after 24 hours - midwife visiting but I can't remember for how long. The second experience was much, much better.

No stirrups! Two home births in late nineteen sixties, which as Mrs Eggy says, was for the majority of us. Both overdue.
First one, the usual preparations and a jolly rosy-cheeked elderly midwife in grey uniform.
Second one, exactly fifty years ago in a heatwave. Nearly three weeks overdue as her due date became known for the Moon Landing! I had been threatened with being brought in to the nearest maternity home if she failed to arrive at the weekend, but because I went for a hike in rough woodland, jumping off fallen tree trunks etc, managed to jolt myself into labour that weekend! She was nine and a half pounds and the young midwife kept saying she was a 'proper armful after holdingh the 6-pounder round the corner', born the same day.

Gosh, Mum's experience doesn't sound very nice. My two were born in 1973 and 1975. The first birth experience was probably the worst, although I wouldn't want to do either again. They were like many others mentioned above but my husband was allowed to stay for the birth on both occasions, although the second time around he chose to stay at home and mow the lawn, I wonder why! What I remember most about them both was how unfeeling the midwives were, and the ward sister in 1973 was vile. My second child was induced and whoever it was that broke my water was horrible. I'm so glad things are better now and the experience is hopefully one to cherish, not one you would rather forget.

First child born early seventies in a local hospital - a truly horrible experience. The birth was ok but babies were left with you all the time, and no sleep was possible as there was always a crying baby somewhere, and the ward lights had to be left on all night (why?) We were instructed to have salt baths; the baths were left in a filthy condition by some patients and never cleaned; I would not use them, and used a rather dubious shower, and was one of the few who didn't end up with a raging infection - one friend had gynae problems for years thanks to a stint in that unhealthy place!

My first experience of giving birth was in Cambridge 1975 just four days after Christmas. My waters broke,so I was taken into hospital. Had a bath and an enema but there weren’t enough staff for a shave. I was put on a drip which certainly moved things along. No one came near for about four hours and I had no pain relief. DD born six hours after entering hospital.
Three years later, my son was a breech baby. I had an epidural and an audience of about six midwives. (They had to witness a breech birth.) My sons legs were over his shoulders so the doctor had to manoeuvre them out by hand. Two very different experiences.

Early 70s it was still the norm to bottle feed, and if you hadn't made a big statement about wanting to breastfeed, you got given a milk suppression pill before your brain had recovered from the birth. As I found out to my dismay when I tried to feed my daughter and had no milk for her. Nurse briskly informed me no of course not, I'd had the suppression pill - I should have told them at antenatal I wanted to breastfeed. Then, two years later when I had my son, it had all changed and they wanted mothers to breastfeed. I'd got used to bottles by then and couldn't be bothered to learn a new technique especially with a demanding toddler as well, and I got nagged by the nurses

First baby 1961, awful experience in hospital, and husband only visited twice in 10 days, found out he was seeing another woman,
Second baby 1962, at home,had to have lots of castor oil and orange juice then was in labour only 2 hours, couldn't get a midwife, sat on a bucket bleeding,[no inside toiet] finally she arrived, waters hadn't broken she broke them, and baby shot out,
Third baby 1964, was out at a bonfire, went unto labour, had daughter 2 hours later
No birth control pill then or wouldn't have had babies so quick
1966 got divorced
1972 and married again , and pregnant
Fourth pregnancy, had twins, very unexpected only expecting one, in hospital, waters broke on the monday, so had to go in, on drips, didn't have them until friday, was put into a bed which had been warmed and lovely experience, lovely nurses and midwife
Husband collected me, and took me straight to the [bloody] pub, i was feeling ill and just wanted to go home,
Spent the rest of the week in bed, with awful mother in law moaning ,
Twins were only 4lb 5oz, and 4lb 8oz, so had to stay in a few weeks,
Discovered husband had requested them to be circumsized,
Very annoyed i wasn't consulted

Both my children were born in the sixties. The thing I remember in particular about them was the time spent in hospital afterwards. Ten days with the first, 7 days with the second. It was normal then, I think. I had no complications.
Bath, shave, enema, and gas and air. No question of my husband being there, so he went to the pub.
For the second one I was offered pethedine so I accepted and it cost 3 guineas. I needed a few stitches this time,
but apart from that it was all straightforward.

Meant to say only in hospital for 48 hours, and weighed 6 stone when i went home,feeling ill

First child in 1971 was a horrific experience for me. I was induced although he was only two days overdue. My mother had told me that giving birth wasn’t as bad as people said. Well, mine was. It was incredibly painful, even with gas and air which seemed to me to make no difference. I was very frightened, which probably made it worse. I couldn’t push. Finally, after about 12 hours, my son was delivered with forceps. I had been told the baby was small (no scans then). - he was 9 lbs 6! I had very much wanted a girl, and almost my first thought was “Damn, I’ll have to do it again”. I felt shocked by the whole experience for months.

The next one in 1974 was a very different experience. I went into labour naturally on the due date. (I was watching The Two Ronnies at the time.) I had asked to have an epidural. When I got to the hospital they said I only had an hour or two to go, so was it worth it? I insisted. As a result it was all pain free, perfectly easy and no forceps needed. It was another boy, but I was so grateful for the easy birth I didn’t mind at all. I went home two days later.

Needless to say I loved them both to pieces, and still do.

Well remember this harridan/virago with a sour face, scragged back hair, demeanour from hell, rushing amongst six of us trying to give birth simultaneously, shouting "come on, come on....... it's not called labour for nothing". Following morning asked about her and was told she used to be the midwife in Holloway!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

With my first in 1972, I was very much left alone in the nursing home with my excruciating pain. When I called for help because I was frightened, the midwives came in but were very annoyed saying 'what is it' ? They couldn;t care less. Even when it was near the end and I finally had some attention, they were abrupt, all except a very old midwife who I was told later, delivered me.

Mine was exactly as your DM told you.In 1972 my DD was taken from me at 7pm and looked after in the nursery during the night and brought back to me at 6am after a good nights sleep. I was in hospital for 10 days as that was the norm back then even after a straight forward birth, we were looked after and taught hold to bath baby, wind them etc before we were allowed home.Oh how things have changed.

Yep, me too. I was given a handful of pills upon entry to the hospital, told to take them without knowing what they were (I was a healthy 20 year-old who didn’t question anything in those days!). I was given an enema, shaved, placed on my back, feet in stirrups. I was in labour 24 hours, not allowed to walk around, probably due to those pills.The baby then diagnosed as ‘transverse’, and in difficulties, so, through a fog of drugs, ended up having V2 suction cap, forceps and a zillion stitches. I wasn’t able to see or hold my baby for three days, as I was too ill and in a side ward, with nurses feeding him Formula, so my milk dried up. This was also due to not being given a blood transfusion when I should’ve been. Bedpans for 5days (!) and my first bath after that - ugh. it was a dreadful nightmare, that still haunts me in my sixties. My daughter said I should have sued the hospital (she was a midwife), but in those days, it just wasn’t done.

1961,63 and 65. Shaved and Enema but no stirrups but left alone for hours, had one baby in the corridor as two students were walking me to the labour ward! Gas and Air was available.

Started contractions while husband was at work, We had no car and no money for a taxi so I caught a bus to the hospital.
Very long labour, 36 hours, then forceps delivery of small girl.
My beautiful baby, what a joy!

I had 3 children in the 70s and I recognise a lot of what others have said here.
But when I recently went to visit a friend's daughter who had just given birth in hospital, what I noticed was the sheer noise coming from the other new mums in the ward: tvs were blaring, some were talking really loudly on their mobiles and one young woman was playing loud music from her phone! Also, loads of loud visitors crowding around beds. When a nurse asked some of them to be quieter because others were trying to rest, the noisy visitors were rude to her and swore at her. It really made for an unpleasant stay and my friend's daughter was longing to be discharged. A far cry from the days when nurses were in charge of the ward and Matron was a feared figure!

I popped my babies like peas. Both without any intervention at all including pain relief.

Baby 2 was taken to the nursery in order for me to rest as my blood pressure rocketed. But generally babies stayed with mum.

That was 68 and 71

Forgot to say it was 1964. Was kept in for 10 days, hospital was run by a lot of nuns, kindly women who had never had babies.
We got fed a lot of black pudding and liver.
No wonder women only have 1 or 2 babies these days.

About a weeks stay I think. It was quite good as we made friends and had lots of help and advice from the medical team about breast feeding etc.

Mine born early 70s. One with feet in stirrups (he was forceps.) Shaved, yes. Enema, yes. Husband with me throughout. 10 days in hospital - bliss. Lots of visitors and all I had to do was sit there and look like I was clever. Guinness (for milk) and morphine (for episiotomy). Babes with me all the time. I could quite happily have stayed there til they were eighteen.