Do you remember pre childbirth enemas?

I had an enema and was shaved with my first child, 1979 but not with my second in 1982. I've never heard of the 3 H's though.

Shortly after my 2nd pregnancy a neighbour was expecting and told me that she got her husband to shave her regularly so that the nurse wouldn't have to do it!

I had enemas for both my daughters 69 and 73 don’t remember the 3Hs. Shaved and suppository in then the blooming midwife insisted I had a bath god knows why, of course by the time I got out the suppository was working and I was having strong contractions. I’ll never forget the look on her face as she insisted I walk to the delivery room and well you can guess what happened. I often wondered who cleaned up that mess. My daughter was born 10 mins later.

I had the rubber hose type enema with my 1st in 1972 and a suppository with my 2nd in 1979. I didn't go to the loo at all for 4 days after the suppository.

Well the enema/suppository was administered (I’d already shaved down below) and this was 1980 and I was in rapid labour and writhing around - stirrups too it was all over in half an hour - but they performed an episiotomy and the stitches which I could feel were the worst part of the whole bl#£dy sh%@£y experience. A one armed surgeon sewed me up (yes you read right) I wasn’t hallucinating as no time for drugs and the gas cylinder was empty! Just my luck😲
There was no consultation this was just routine
13 months later with second baby 1981 no enemas/no shaving home after 10 hours! Ps we all survived😊

Oh yes a two pint green enema in 1980 ! Horrible, worked a treat though.

Who knows. A scatalogical mind? ..... love that word!
characterized by obscenity or preoccupation with obscenity, esp in the form of references to excrement

I’m more interested in what circumstance the OP thought this was an interesting subject to discuss 🤷‍♀️

When my niece had her kids 11 and 12 years ago I was surprised to learn they do not clean around the belly button and they just leave the stump to drop off with a clip on. I thought that was gross and she said it smells.

So don’t they shave your pubes off now?

Joseann

Omg, why do discussions on GN always bring back past memories - some of which haunt me to this day? It was my "job" (1980) to administer enemas to ladies who came onto the ante natal ward in a London hospital prior to going into labour. I had to shave the area first, then warm up the enema and insert. I was actually thinking how good I was at it until one day a lady presented with such bad piles I couldn't see what I was doing and I didn't want to hurt her. The trouble was I couldn't leave her on the table to go and get assistance in case she toppled off. I think I eventually accosted someone passing in the corridor to fetch the sister. Embarrassing.
I reckon it was High, Hot and Hope for the best from the operator's pov, but maybe High, Hot, and Horrific for the patient.
Sorry TMI.

I wasn't going to comment as the OP had posted she had her answer to her question but you have brought back memories of my first birth in 1974, Joseann.... The baby was one a month late and I had had severe squitters for 3 days but was still given and enema despite that and perched on the labour table on top of a bedpan while all the midwives disappeared!!!!.... There was a large opaque glass window in front of me which I sort of hoped may be a 2 way mirror. I never felt so alone in my life...having sent DH to friends as I felt it would be all too much for him having heard horror stories from my mum of 36 hour labour with both her babies. DD duly arrived but the midwife delegate the episiotomy to her student who slipped twice with the scissors cutting me badly before getting it right. The young doctor who came to stitch me up asked which "***** butcher had did this" and took over 2 hours to repair the damage. The second birth in 1976 in a different hospital was little better with the main midwife yelling that I wasn't trying hard enough... Both teams administered pethidine against my will so that I had a massive bruise on my thigh each time. Both babies were healthy apart from jaundice and thrived however for which I am eternally grateful. On a positive note, when I was a maternity social worker at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn in the late 1980's I was present at a birth at the request of the mother and it was a very tranquil and beautiful experience for us all..... I've just heard on Woman's Hour that there is a movement requesting that pregnant women are assigned a small team of midwives who can provide follow through care which was the model we had in King's Lynn. I worked closely with the Health Visitors and Midwives both in the hospital and in the community but even then, sad to say, the Health Visitor service was under threat and now my profession has all but disappeared......

Wow you are young Jaxjacky my grandchildren were being born then.
I remember the enema in 1968 but not in 1974, the second was a veryquick birth though.

Thanks to all! I think we've exhausted a painful topic. I can sleep at night now knowing the third H.

My first labour was in 1970, had the enema for 2nd in 1973, but not for babies 3 and 4. Cheers!

agnurse

While I can't say for certain at what point these practices stopped, I CAN say, having worked in obstetrics, that enemas aren't given anymore for childbirth and that shaving is ONLY done for the pubic hair if a woman needs a C-section - and then you only shave where they need to do the incision.

Praise the lord.

Had it all for my first in 1984 but not for my 2nd in 1986 though my DH did stop them shaving me then. Everything had changed thankfully by the time my third came along in 1990.

While I can't say for certain at what point these practices stopped, I CAN say, having worked in obstetrics, that enemas aren't given anymore for childbirth and that shaving is ONLY done for the pubic hair if a woman needs a C-section - and then you only shave where they need to do the incision.

I will be eternally grateful both practices had stopped by mine, 1986 and 1991.🙂

I don't remember the anything about the 3 Hs, but was it haemorrhoids? That is what labour gave me!

I had the full monty with the first in 78. They even managed to whip a mole off I had down there which bled profusely.All to start labour pains which had not started when my water trickled and never did naturally so I had a C-section..
Second was a planned C-section but still the enema and a bigger shave to the navel, all with soap and water and a man's shaving brush. Something orange and indelible was painted everywhere. One poor girl had been shaved every day for 3 days waiting for her labour to begin.
When I had a hysterectomy in the 80's it was still the enema and shave, but with Talcom powder which gave me an itchy infection and I was advised to put cream for piles on it.

Yes , had one with my first 1978.
Not with 2nd & 3 rd. 1980 & 84

Had enema with the eldest, but not the following two.

My first sign of labour was always diarrhoea, despite that, I always had to have an enema too.

I had enemas both births, 1974 and 1976.

The second one was administered in anticipation of being ‘started off’ later, as I was a few days late and hospitals seemed very keen on induced births back then.

The enema propelled me into labour whilst still on the loo. I can still recall the midwife sister coming to check on me( back on the bed by then), summing the situation up at a glance, then manhandling my bed down the corridor into the lift on the way to the delivery room. I said “ Will you give me any pethidine?” “No time for that” she replied.

Our son was born about 5 minutes later, no time for DH to come or anything.

I had the enemas just before my labours. Would the midwives please explain to me how , nowadays, it's considered not to matter if the babe arrived soiled by faeces?
One of the enemas did not empty me properly and my horrible husband complained to me about the smell!

1981 had an enema, 1983 no enema but
Wished I had, the birth was quick along with everything else

Joseann

All so undignified. When did the practice cease?

My 2nd was born in 1978 and didn't have the shave and enema then thank goodness