Maternity Care in the Second Half of the 20th Century

My first child was born in the 80s and my second in the 90s.
With my first child, I had pre eclampsia and spent the last six weeks in hospital on bed rest. There was a smoking room for patients on the ante natal ward! The ward itself was one big room with up to twenty beds and you saw all of society there. Nothing was explained to me and I'm sure that contributed to my ever increasing high blood pressure. I was induced and had to lie flat. I was immediately in full labour and it was all over very quickly. The post natal ward was, again, one big room with lots of crying babies. I seem to recall the nurses weren't very pleasant and the babies were removed at night so mums could sleep. I was in for five days because it was my first. I was chucked out a day early because there was infection on the ward.
With my second child, the wards were smaller, four or six beds. Babies were kept with mums all the time. Breast feeding was common and we left after 48 hours.

Just to add I had my C sections in 1973 (emergency) 75,77 and 81 - all elective
I got 8 days in hospital each time.
I can’t begin to imagine what c section mums go through today!

I had my first child in 1965.
It is pretty much as you described.
I had had difficulties conceiving and was under the care of the Women’s Hospital in Nottingham and so was booked in there for delivery, most women had problems of some kind.
I actually had a very easy straightforward delivery and should have been transferred after two days to a nursing home near where I lived but I dug my heels in and was allowed to go home with the local midwife visiting every day for the required 10 days.
My H was allowed to visit for 2hours in the evening while I was in very early labour and then sent home, I was on my own then until I gave birth just before midnight.
I had an episiotomy and while being stitched up my D was whisked away after I had just glimpsed her, I don’t think I even held her and I didn’t see her again until the next morning when she was brought to me for feeding.
She was in the nursery, which I never saw for the whole of the two days I was there, my H was taken by a nurse to see her for a minute, no holding, no touching and that was all he saw her until I arrived home the next afternoon.
It all seems so “clinical” now. It was not at all a good experience. Some of the nurses were awful and not at all caring or supportive, I heard women being shouted at and one, in my hearing referred to as a “mardy bitch”
Pain relief was just gas and air.
I had my second child at home 4 years later ,it was pure bliss.

I had our daughter in 1970. The midwives were horrible. I was shaved by a nurse who said 'I've never done this before'. She cut me. I was 19 and so terrified of giving birth. I was given an enema and was sick in the hospital toilet. I told a nurse and she said 'Well you'd better clean it up then hadn't you?' I was in hospital a week before the birth due to high BP and for ten days after.

Those kind, caring midwives on Call The Midwife make me laugh.

My children were born in 1974 and 1976.

In hospital a week with the first, should only have been two days with second, but I was unwell after a very hurried birth, and had to stay in the full week.

Listening to friends whose own children are now having babies, (my youngest GC is 17), I think that having babies 50 or so years ago was preferable.

The staff, the care, just the whole experience, seemed so much better than the way it sounds now, the scarcity of midwives, no one to help with post birth showering etc, being sent out of hospital after a couple of hours……

Back then, visiting was restricted to husbands only in the evenings, and only a couple of hours in the afternoons for others. I shall be shot down in flames for saying it, but far better than the free-for-all nowadays when the world and his wife expects to be involved with it all.

This might be a diversion but I see New Zealand have just introduced funding for women to stay in hospital three days after giving birth. I thought that was interesting, and positive.

I had mine 1977 and 1979. Yes to the shaving and enema and epsiotomy (happy days). I was in 10 days for the 1st and 2 for the 2nd. My GP was going to reverse my episiotomy as they'd done me back up too tightly, but I fell pregnant again and it was sorted at birth 2.

We were positively encouraged to breastfeeed and the midwives were mostly lovely. One old schooler made some sarcastic remarks to me when I got a bit teary on day 3. Baby was next to you at all times. Although my daughter who was a forceps delivery was "cot nursed" in the nursery for about 20 hours. I don't think that happens any more. But quite honestly, I was so exhausted after a very long labour that I think being able to sleep properly for a few hours probably settled me and allowed me to be less anxious with my newborn.

I did have some pethidine with no 1 but otherwise just gas and air. Epidurals weren't very common and there were no scans. No walking about during labour and legs up and in the stirrups. I do remember shouting "no, no not the bloody stirrups" but they were ignoring my shouty ramblings by that stage!

I forgot about the shaving and the enema! Yes for both babies. I had pain relief for baby 1 but baby 2 came so quickly, thanks to the enema there was no time.

Baby 1 in 1986. I was in hospital on complete bed rest for two weeks before he arrived because I was swollen with severe pre eclampsia, being sedated and with a BP monitor constantly wired up. He was born at 28 weeks weighing the same as a bag of sugar. I almost died. He almost died. But all the staff were absolutely wonderful and their care and attention got me through. After an emergency section, I was then in for another two weeks. The baby had to stay in SCBU for another four months so I only visited once a week as we live 100 miles away. (He is now almost 39 and grew to 6’ 1”!) Baby 2 in 1991 long, long labour with normal birth of a 9lb baby. No shaving or enemas by that stage. Nurses were a bit “brisk” shall we say. Baby 3 in 1995 was delivered by the lovely local midwife at the roadside in an ambulance when we were still 50 miles from the hospital. We just turned round and I went back home! So all three completely different. Mums who have sections now are sent home far too early. It’s a major abdominal operation but is treated as commonplace nowadays. No wonder they don’t heal as quickly as I was able to after my section.

Forgot to say I had gas and air with nos 2 and 3. Marvellous stuff.

I had Son1 in 1981, almost a month early - the doctor at my check-up the day before had given me an internal, and that set off my labour. I was shaved, given an enema, made to have a bath in Dettol, and had to lay on the bed in the labour suite for the 12 hours until he was born. No food, only drinks of water. I had an episiotomy, went home after 36 hours. Son2 was born st a different hospital in 1984. No enema or bath, not shaved. I had an epidural, an episiotomy (he was almost 11lbs) and went home after 4 days.

I seem to remember sucking a lot of ice cubes during my second labour. The tea and toast afterwards was very welcome though!

I was born in the 50s. My parents were living with my grand mother, aunt uncle and my one year old sister. No bathroom, toilet In the backyard. She asked for a hospital delivery and was told she had her own bedroom so no need for hospital. Your mother was lucky.

Thank you everyone. I am finding all your experiences very interesting. A common theme seems to be emerging that the midwifery staff were often, with some notable exceptions, rather horrible.

The ghastly shave, enema, stirrups, and the almost inevitable huge episiotomy cut seem ludicrous now. I am glad to say that my GCs were delivered in a more normal way which took into account the wishes and comfort of the mother.

My first child was born in 1965. Ten days in hospital with babies only brought from the nursery for feeding. Afternoon rest on our beds with tea and cake afterwards.
Fast forward to 1971 when my second was born. Home after a day in hospital and a district midwife for a week or so.

I had my first baby with a normal delivery and spent 2 weeks in hospital.
My day consisted of feeding my DD then eating a cooked breakfast made by somebody else. Physio, depending on the type of delivery and how many days post-natal you were, followed by coffee and biscuits. Then on various days a group of Mums would be shown how to bath and top & tail your baby, care of the umbilical cord, getting comfortable with breast feeding and general advice on caring for a baby. Feeding our babies again followed by our lunch then a nap. Tea and biscuits was followed by visitors but the babies were kept in the nursery. Once visiting ended the babies came back to us and stayed through Dad's visiting until we got ready for bed and the final feed.
On leaving hospital, the community midwife called every day for 10 days and when she left the health visitor would be knocking at the door.
Today's Mums have a 6 hour discharge, very sketchy post-natal care and then people wonder why there is a rise in post natal depression and Mums finding it hard to cope.

theworriedwell

I was born in the 50s. My parents were living with my grand mother, aunt uncle and my one year old sister. No bathroom, toilet In the backyard. She asked for a hospital delivery and was told she had her own bedroom so no need for hospital. Your mother was lucky.

I agree theworriedwell my mother was lucky. It would seem that even in the early days of the NHS there was a postcode lottery when it came to how patients were treated.

I was born and grew up in Inner London and I know things were different in different parts of the country or maybe even different parts of London.

For instance my DH was an only child and he was born in Broadstairs during the 1950s. He was delivered at home by a lone midwife despite the fact that it was his mother's first pregnancy.

I’m not sure that the care I was given during the actual births in the 80s was much different from that given now, but the hospital stay afterwards was vastly different. Several days each time (by choice - I could have opted for 36 hours for numbers two and three, but I enjoyed the rest!) in a peaceful, spotlessly clean, well-run ward with a matron in charge. If she saw any nurses chatting she’d despatch them to ask round all the “ladies” to see if they needed anything. We were shown how to care for our babies, even though it had all been covered previously in free antenatal classes. All the babies were wheeled into the nursery overnight, and brought to us for breastfeeding if we chose, or bottle-fed by nurses. They were there for another hour every afternoon, when the curtains were drawn and we all had afternoon naps, on our stomachs as dictated by matron! Meals were served at set times, and were good quality - I remember being appalled when one mum complained that her breakfast toast wasn’t done enough! We’d exercise classes every morning, working those pelvic floors. Visitors were restricted to a couple of hours a day, and two per bed only. And does anyone else remember being given a free bottle of stout at bedtime?

It wouldn’t have suited some, as it was very regimented, but nobody was forced to opt for the longer stay, and I felt I was looked after very well. I venture onto Mumsnet occasionally and the threads about maternity care these days paint a totally different picture. Some of the posts are quite shocking. And judging from the experiences of my own daughters and daughter-in-law, there definitely is a postcode lottery even now in maternity care.

I had my two children in 1969 and 1972.Both born by emergency c section because of serious complications .in labour.
I am only 4ft 10 ins tall with narrow hips but old that I was ok for vaginal delivery in my first pregnancy.I am a qualified nurse and midwife so suspected this was risky.Both C Sections under GA which was normal then.
My first baby head never engaged and when my waters broke he went into transverse lie and passed meconium which is a sign of foetal distress.I can remember being rushed to theatre they were running with me on a trolly.I stopped breathing under the GA and we both almost died.Was in hospital 12 days had the longitudinal cut but all stitches were out by th the we went home.
Second pregnancy spent in fear no counselling existed then.I was told it was ok for vaginal delivery again because the first section was because of the transverse lie. Baby's head got stuck in my pelvis in labour.Never engaged either.Another c section as my contractions stopped and it was thought my uterus had ruptured.It thankfully had not but baby got out just in time.
Today I would have possibly had elective section the first time and certainly the second time.Also had tubal tie done during second section as I had decided during pregnancy for this to be done as was terrified of going though childbirth again.
My first son has autism and other problems which could have been related to his horrible birth.My younger son is father and grandfather now.
In some ways modern day are better in that epidurals have replaced GA for most sections and you can request one which was unthinkable then.I do not agree with short hospital stays after sections but this is due to current state of the NHS.
20-30 years before I gave birth I would have died with my first baby.
Sorry for one rant but OP was wanting to now what it was like.

My daughter in 1986 was using a birthing chair in hospital, straightforward delivery, three hour labour.
My son was a planned home birth in 1991, my placenta was coming away so he had to be suctioned out, all was well, we had a GP in attendance, two midwives and an ambulance outside! He was a one hour labour, I was sterilised a year later.

Thank you for sharing your experiences pinkprincess.
I had similar problems even though I was taller than you.

For first pregnancy I was supposed to have a normal delivery despite the fact that the baby's lie was variable and unstable and the head was not engaged at 42 weeks and I ended up having an emergency caesarian. I had pelvimetry done which showed I have an android pelvis.

The second time almost exactly the same thing happened again but they were still insisting that I have a normal delivery. I ended up having another emergency caesarian at 38 weeks when monitoring showed foetal distress. This was during the 1980s and I had an epidural both times.

I had my two in 1979 and 1981. Two different hospitals.
For the first one I was shaved, but no enema. Labour was longish and boring most of the time as baby was hooked up to a foetal monitor. Had an episiotomy sewn up so tightly that it was painful to laugh or cough for a few days. Babies were kept on the ward in a bedside cot. Breastfeeding was neither encouraged or discouraged but he took to it well so no problems. He got jaundice so was in an incubator at my bedside for a few days and this made my stay longer than I’d expected.

Second baby was meant to be a home delivery but came 4 weeks early and I was told it had to be a hospital birth because it would be low birth weight (it wasn’t as it turned out) no shave or enema. No episiotomy , a small tear and a more expert stitcher😆 Babies at bedside in ward. I begged to be sent home on 2nd day as I shouldn’t have been there at all. I was allowed to go as feeding established and baby fine.

I had gas and air only for both. I was happy with the care both times.

Moth62

I seem to remember sucking a lot of ice cubes during my second labour. The tea and toast afterwards was very welcome though!

Number 1, waters had broken 5 weeks before due date so I was in hospital, military, because of infection risk. I didn't sleep well because of a light. They had planned to induce next day but then said it would be a day later as they were already doing 1! The night before the big day I started having twinges, the midwife I had spoken to about the light gave me a couple of sleeping tablets. When I asked about the timings for next day she cheerily said, Oh, you'll have had it before morning, you're well on the way! Er, why have you just given me sleeping tablets then!? Oh, shit!
It was an interesting night.
Number 2, different military hospital an hour away, more straightforward but one of the nurses got annoyed when I wouldn't drink sweet tea, apparently I needed it but I told her I would throw up and there was enough cleaning up already.

Oh yes, I was given a Mogadon and my husband was sent home at midnight in the expectation of me being there all night. DD2 arrived at 2am…

DH missed the birth but made it back to witness the sewing up of the episiotomy. The midwife had remembered that my GP was attending a function at the hospital and called him up to the ward to do the honours. I think she regretted it (I certainly did!) when he turned up in full evening dress three sheets to the wind and demanded their biggest needle. Fortunately the whisky fumes he breathed over me anaesthetised me to some extent.