Maternity Care in the Second Half of the 20th Century

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.