Has anyone else heard of being "Churched" after the birth of a baby.?

lily soneone earlier was saying they were not allowed ina house because they were 'unclean' from childbirth. I know nothing of any of these practices!

I was in hospital for 10 days after DD1 was born (best holiday I've ever had)

One day a vicar appeared in the ward and asked who would like to be churched? I'd heard of the practice and was not interested in the whys or wherefores but I trotted along with a few others because I had nothing else better to do. It was a simple service and I think the words 'blood' and 'cleansed' were probably mentioned but I can't say I felt any better for it.

A simple thanksgiving for a safe delivery would probably have made more of an impact.

I didn't bother with it after my other children were born.

Can't remember if I was or not!

I definitely wasn't.

Heard about it, yes (though it died out long ago). Thought further about it, nope. Celebrated the births of my children with other loved ones, yes, of course.

thought, not though

Yeah but it was a thing before your time , Bags !

That's what I thought, nonu. Ancient history and all that

Penstemon, yes this was at one time the custom for new mothers not to be accepted into homes unless they had been churched but i think for years this had become a superstition. My mother was churched but never told she couldn't enter homes, she too chose it as a small service of thankfulness , so that's my knowledge of Churching of women in the forties, fifties, sixties and seventies , no mention of not entering homes and no suggestion by the Priests that it should be 'done'

Quite .

Interesting, because the unclean symbolism passed me by, I went to church to give thanks for a safe delivery and a healthy baby, it was a happy occasion for me.

I just did a google asking the history of Getting Churched and it lead me here. I married a Geordie from North Shields UK. I'm an aussie, and after the birth of our first child his grandmother who just lived around the corner would not come to visit or we could not go to here house until I had been churched...???? I am not religious even though we got married in Christ Church... a Church of England.. Anglican. To please hubbies family.

So yes I went along to the church and the minister spoke some words over me and mentioned that it had to do with being cleansed after the birth....

STRANGE... that was in North Shields 1976. So some oldies back then still believed in that and I just went along not to make waves...

This makes me curious , how DO people find these dormant threads ?
I never seem to !

If anyone is interested about the origins of this tradition read Leviticus chapter 12.
As Monika says, strange that it has lasted so long.
I can't understand why the waiting period is longer after the birth of a girl, compared with a boy.