Maternity Care in the Second Half of the 20th Century

I had my 2 children in 2 different military hospitals in Germany, my son was born in 1972 and I was in hospital for 10 days. My daughter was born in 1979 and I stayed in for 7 days.
No complications straightforward births, I just wanted to go home.

My 1st baby was born in 1974. I was shaved and had an enema, and also an episiotomy and stitches, and was in for 10 days. No stirrups though, but gave birth flat on my back without pain relief, not even gas and air. I was very shy in those days and it didn't occur to me to ask for it.

We were given instruction how to breastfeed but the babies were kept in the nursery overnight so that mothers could have unbroken sleep. Unfortunately I woke really early with painful breasts and leaking due to not giving night feeds.

I remember ringing my Mum when my milk "came in" and asking her to go to Mothercare and buy a bra with the biggest cups available. I was a small, slim person who overnight had developed absolutely enormous painful breasts.

During the mornings in hospital we were given pelvic floor exercises and "mothercraft" lessons, and then visiting was in the afternoon.

On day 3 after the birth, I was given a laxative suppository because I was constipated and terrified of straining/breaking my stitches.

It was my 1st baby so I didn't realise I had been stitched up "too tightly", and had to return and be cut again and re-stitched about a week after leaving hospital!!! No anaesthetic!!

Things were completely different when I had my 2nd baby in 1977. No shaving and no enema, consequently I poo'ed on the bed during labour. My son was 3 lbs. heavier than my first baby (my daughter) and came out like a battering ram, so I had yet another episiotomy, more stitches, and a great deal of internal bruising.

As he was my 2nd baby and I had no problems with him latching on, I went home after 24 hours, but could hardly walk due to the bruising and stitching. For over a month I had to sit on a rubber ring.

No paternity leave in my husband's job (police officer) and my Mum worked, so I had no help and just had to muddle through. My son was a very hungry baby and never stopped eating, so I didn't get more than 2 hours sleep at any one time until he was 6 months old. In his 40s he is still always hungry!

I remember playing doctors and nurses with my toddler daughter and encouraging her to bandage me up just so that I could lie down for a little while!! I was so exhausted. One day I drove into town with my handbag on the roof of the car. I was a zombie.

I was thrilled with my babies, though, and had friends with babies so wasn't isolated.

My experience in mid 70 s with my two children was exactly as described by Magenta in her OP.

I had all three of my children in our local hospital in a four bedded ward When baby one was born early and needed special care she was sent to Glasgow the nearest SCBU.I was moved into a single room with its own shower room “ In case I upset the others in the ward” I had spent a number of weeks with pre eclampsia on bed rest and had a very long 42 hour Labour while the registrars tried to stop it with drugs.
Baby died after 4 days.I was sent home to recover36 hours after her birth,
Baby two arrived on her due date after a 10 hour Labour ,the consultant kept me on the ward for 10 days .My daughter had been born on the same day of the month at exactly the same time as her sister and my imagination and nerves were in overdrive ,scared she would die too.
Baby 3 ,I had awful sickness and lost a lot of weight then at 27 weeks was diagnosed with pre eclampsia again.I was only in hospital for 3 days when they delivered him by c section.
His weight dipped to under two pounds in his first week BUT we took him home at 10 weeks weighing still under 4 pounds .
Hes 37 and the father of 3 beautiful girls .
I can honestly say treatment was good ,staff sat with me during his first days and overnight and the head sister visited us at home for weeks
The only issue was with baby one and that was because the consultant was off for the weekend and had to be called in when the midwives felt it had gone on too long He was a very strict doctor ,anyone on here from West Dunbartonshire will know of him ,he raided lockers and took treats or sweets away ,had us all on diets as we were on bed rest and wouldn,t use extra calories and bribed us after surgery to do our exercises with a brandy.I,d have preferred a chunk of cheese .He could be harsh ,told me that baby one would likely die so go home and try again but I had great confidence in him a d remember him fondly
There were also 6 early losses where I feel I was treated with compassion and care .

Would add it wasn’t usual for fathers to be present at the birth, and my husband needed special permission to be with me.

Also my dh had to save his entire years leave, then 2 weeks, to use when I came home.

I was in hospital for a week before DD1 was born in a big London hospital in 1969 and ten days afterwards. DD stayed in for a further three weeks My consultant, who I only saw once, was the Queen’s obstetrician at the time. His Houseman came and danced for us on the ward. By the time she came home I was rested and hair done etc. I soon learnt the truth with babies two and three!

My first daughter was born in 1976. I was admitted to hospital with what I now believe was pre-eclampsia, although no one ever told me that was what it was.
I was quite small then and my bump was huge, no scans in those days.
I was in labour for over 24 hours before she was finally born with forceps and a ventouse cap. I believe she got stuck and if I had had a scan they would have seen that I probably needed a C-section. She weighed just under 10lbs. My husband was not allowed to be with me for the birth.
I hemorrhaged after she was born and was put into a room on my own. I had a lot of stitches and found the whole thing very traumatic.
Babies were kept in the nursery and only brought out for feeding. I was in hospital for about 6 days.
My second daughter was born in 1979 in a different hospital.
I had an epidural with her and she was born at 38 weeks and weighed just under 7lbs. A totally different experience.
My daughter's experiences were totally different to mine. Two emergency C-sections and 3 normal births.
I'm not sure that things are better, only different.

@maggiemaybe
And does anyone else remember being given a free bottle of stout at bedtime? grin

Yes! DC2 was born in Rottenrow ( long gone now, a very oldfashioned maternity hospital in Glasgow, ruled with a rod of iron by old-school Matron. It served the deprived east end of Glasgow . I have never encountered such superb, delicious hospital food before or since; all made on site, and we were fed three cooked meals daily. In between the three cooked meals came three large snacks; milky drinks with home baking. And last thing at night, a large glass of Guinness.

I 'd been admitted for rest. I don't like beer and never drank alcohol when pregnant. So I politely declined the Guinness. The nurese told matron. Matron came stalking down the ward arms akimbo to order " This is for the good of BABY, so drink it." and stood over me till I did. She told me the average full term birthweight was 4 pounds (due to maternal deprivation) and this was why they admitted us mothers early to feed us up and improve the baby birthweight. and breast milk supply. I pointed out, in my English RP accent, that 1 had been admitted for rest because I was carrying a large late baby, and had three kids under five.

She said " Here, ALL my mothers drink Guinness".

Stoked by compulsory Guinness, baby weighed in at 10 lbS.

Two babies, born either end of the 1980s, one in a maternity unit NW of London, the other in hospital on South Coast.
On neither occasion was I anywhere near a doctor, both were delivered by (wonderful) midwives with no stitches. First one we stayed in for a week, second one we were out inside 18hrs.
Both were breast-fed, even when I went back to work (I had support and access to a fridge organised by other mums, both times).

I had 4CS. And my daughter 2
I was in hospital from 7 to 5 days She was in 24 hrs
But with me at home to help she was very happy with this…better sleep at home…more relaxed .
I am very proud of going home early…if you have help..for better recovery

DS born 1971, straightforward vaginal delivery (shave, enema and episiotomy normal then as already noted) DH in attendance throughout, 9 days in big London maternity hospital. Food plentiful if dull.
Breastfeeding established okay at homecoming.
DD induced 1973 but in fact it seems I got the dates wrong so she was only about 38 weeks. Normal delivery, midwife avoided episiotomy, well done her. Home after 2 days.
DD's experiences with GSs pretty awful in 2003 and 2006 in that she had no time to rest or get breastfeeding established, out of hospital more or less straight away.. She'd have been lost without me there for three weeks each time.

i had my first baby in 1970 after a 4 hour labour! no shaving, no enema. pethadine plus gas and air - i was "high"!!
i had an episiotomy which was sewn up crookedly and was home before my daughter was a day old! i hate hospitals.
the midwife visited and cut my painful stitches and i never looked back.
my son was born in 1973 (on my daughter's 3rd birthday) and everything was different. a 2 hour labour, no pethadine or gas and air. and a home birth as there wasn't time to get me to hospital!

My late MIL worked in the Welsh valleys before WW2. She " prescribed" stout for expectant and nursing mums because, in these poor households, food priority went to the working man, and the women were often undernourished.
No proud miner wanted to hear that, but would feel comfortable spending a modest sum on stout, giving the woman iron, and important calories.

I watch C.T.M and then tear it to shreds, it's a joke.

My Husband was with the Military in the M.E. when I had my Daughter, I went through it on my own and he did'nt know what he had until she was 2 weeks old. Mt Son I had at home and it was a different experience all together.

I had my first in the Uk as you reported OP in the 70s and second + third in France under similar situations.

I was shock to read on mumsnet this weekend of a mother whose waters had broken, arrived at the Uk hospital to find no bed available in the labour ward. She was told she would have to have a C-section, as it had been more than 24 hours. She hadn’t planned for this but had to go though it, there was no real choice. Even then she had to wait in the queue till pm the following day.

Chocolatelovinggran

My late MIL worked in the Welsh valleys before WW2. She " prescribed" stout for expectant and nursing mums because, in these poor households, food priority went to the working man, and the women were often undernourished.
No proud miner wanted to hear that, but would feel comfortable spending a modest sum on stout, giving the woman iron, and important calories.

Food priority to the husband/sons, was still a thing in Scotland in the mid 1970s. We'd just moved from England to Glasgow , our kind neighbours did their best to help us settle in by explaining Scottish ways so I didn't put my foot in it so often. (Hanging out washing on Sundays, for example) . This was truly done with the very kindest intentions.

One of them happened by just as we were eating our evening meal and later, tactfully got me on my own to explain my latest faux pas. First, was serving sausages. Worse, was sitting at the table eating alongside himself.

"Butterandjam, sausages are fine for women and children; but not a proper meal for a man. And, a wife's role is to serve dinner to hubby and son. I don't sit at the table with them. I eat mine later in the kitchen after they've finished. That way I can be sure they've had enough and if the men were hungry I just make do with what's left".

Was that the mid 1870s, butterandjam? 😲

No 3 was born in a hospital and I was left by myself as the midwife went off for her lunch. She was gone for quite some time and, needless to say, baby arrived while she was gone.
Luckily DH popped in to see me (no-one had let him know as I'd been there a couple of days).

The equipment was faulty and the hospital really dirty as they had a problem with the cleaners.
The night staff nurse afterwards just ignored everyone and sat in the office reading magazines.

Awful place. I hope it's improved since the 1980s. Or perhaps been demolished.

I just slip into this thread as my three children were born in the nineties. I generally had easy pregnancies but my labours were not straightforward. My first was born in 1991 and I had eclampsia - fitting - after he was born, having never had high blood pressure or pre-eclampsia during the pregnancy. The next thing I knew was being attached to a drip in the postnatal ward. This ward was run by an old school sister, who adhered strictly to visiting hours and afternoon rests on the bed. We were also helped with feeding, bathing and general caring for our new babies, although, despite my best efforts, I was unable to breastfeed him. I was in hospital six days and it really set us up well. My second baby was born in 1993. He was spine-to-spine, so readjusting his position throughout the birthing process. The pain was excruciating as l had no relief front or back. The epidural was wonderful. The postnatal ward was very different this time. Visiting rules appeared to be non-existent and there was an Indian lady with her new baby in the opposite bed. She had family with her the entire time. I realise that this was probably a cultural thing but I found it exhausting being opposite and even going to the bathroom was difficult as there was no privacy. My baby had swallowed some mucus during birth, which was dealt with quickly as we were in the hospital. I was able to breastfeed him for nine months. My daughter was born in 1996 and there was a new maternity unit at the hospital, which meant you were in the same room from labour to leaving the hospital. She was another spine-to-spine baby and, once more, I was grateful for the epidural. After the birth, she fed easily and naturally until around midnight. I realised that I had no milk left so asked a nurse where they kept the little bottles of formula milk. The nurse asked me if I would like her to give the bottle to the baby. I was very grateful for this suggestion as I had been awake for around 36 hours by this point and was exhausted. Both baby and I slept till about eight o'clock and it was a wonderful start as I fed her for 10½ months. We went home later that day. I think l was very fortunate with my experiences and am glad I had my children in the nineties. Maternity care seems to have gone backwards from what I can see.

I had my 1st aged 20 in 1973. Yrs to shaving and enema. Was on bed rest for two weeks prior to going into labour due to pre eclampsia. My DH was abroad with the army and I had a 48 hr labour totally alone . I had a couple of pethidine injections . Baby was back to back and I needed an episiotomy and forceps delivery . The staff were awful and very nasty both before and after the birth . My husband got some leave and turned up on baby’s 3rd day . Staff attitude changed on a sixpence . They had decided that I was an unmarried mother until DH arrived . My stay was awful . I couldn’t sit due to odema in the area of my stitches but to lie on the bed to feed baby was not allowed so I had to stand up . The problem with standing was that I went dizzy every time I, so I had to put baby in the cot while I lay on the bed to recover then stand up and carry on with the feed . This could happen four or five times during each feed . I was supposed to stay in hospital for 7 nights but signed myself out on day 3 .
I had my next two babies in a different hospital with nicer staff .

Awful place. I hope it's improved since the 1980s. Or perhaps been demolished.

No, it's still there. Started its life as a workhouse in the 1800s.

Lupatria

i had my first baby in 1970 after a 4 hour labour! no shaving, no enema. pethadine plus gas and air - i was "high"!!
i had an episiotomy which was sewn up crookedly and was home before my daughter was a day old! i hate hospitals.
the midwife visited and cut my painful stitches and i never looked back.
my son was born in 1973 (on my daughter's 3rd birthday) and everything was different. a 2 hour labour, no pethadine or gas and air. and a home birth as there wasn't time to get me to hospital!

Had my baby in the 90s - episiotomy stitches were really hurting when I got home. My husband cut them out for me - there was no way I was going back to the surgery or the hospital. I begged him to do something. He used a head torch and sterilised some tweezers on the gas hob - it worked really well.

WARNING CONTAINS DETAILS SOME MAY FIND UPSETTING.
We have 4 DS born 85, 88, 99 and 02. There were lots of notable differences between the first two and second two. With DS1 I stayed in for 5 days, 2 days with DS2, I went home next day with DS3 and was in 5 days with DS4 due to emergency caesarean.
We were young and fun loving when I went in to have our first, I was in established labour and they hooked me up to a monitor and I announced that I had shaved in readiness to be told they didn’t do that anymore 😂
I remember the midwife pulling involuntary funny faces as she examined me internally, she then said I am popping out to make you some tea, if you need me urgently ring the bell. She left the room and my husband picked up the bell to ring, in a panic I asked what he was doing? He said I forgot to ask for a biscuit with my tea! I laughed at him and then had to explain why the monitor had gone yampy! She was not amused!
My labour with DS2 was 17 minutes from first twinge to birthed! I was in labour for 24 hours with DS3 and DS4 was in difficulty and they said dead inside me so he was got out pdq! He’s now 23, and I thank God everyday for him and the NHS.