Call the Midwife

I loved last night's episode too, and isn't Miranda Hart just great? Just how Chummy was in the books! I'm surprised not to see more 'smocks' - has anyone else noticed that? I remember most pregnant ladies wore those in the 50's and early 60's. My mother, who was awfully straight-laced, was very against the 'bump' being obvious. In fact she used to say that ladies who were 'expecting', tended to stay indoors more often, in order to remain respectable.....

Marvellous!

yes that is true Wearing clothes that show the bump rather than draping them in a concealing way is a recent fashion. However if clothes still on ration then maybe they had to make do with the dresses they had?

In the 50s women wore smocks or other loose garments to conceal the bump, which kidded nobody. My dad used to refer to them as 'loose covers'.

They looked like loose covers, didn't they! They were usually brightly coloured prints - with some ric-rac braiding! Very pretty....!

I always wore loose smock type things when pregnant, hate seeing, nowadays, young girls with the bump clearly on display, and not always covered by anything at all. Many a time the t-shirt ends just below the bust, and the trousers start under the bump, doesn`t look nice at all, or am I just too old fashioned?

I had smocks in the 70s. One of my male colleagues asked me if I'd had to go to the tent makers to get them made

I don't think you're old-fashioned, numberplease! I think the very pregnant tummy looks a bit vulnerable when it's not covered up! And the more pregnant the tummy gets, the further down the trousers slip....not a bonny sight!

One of my smocks was a blue and white spotty thing, come to think of it they were not so much spots as huge great blobbs ! I must have looked a right sight, didn't put DH off mind went on to have two more babies after that

So where did they get "newborns"? I understand some were not real , but others surely were - would you let an actress hold your new born baby?

I used to wear pinafore dresses and they were all homemade. You could then wear your usual jumpers underneath.
I must admit to liking the modern fashion for tighter maternity clothes that show the bump although definitely not the bare tummy, that needs covering please.
Do any of you have photos of yourself while pregnant - I don't, we weren't encouraged to show what we were expecting then

My mum made me a couple of loose pinafore dresses when I came back from Kenya 5 months pregnant in a really cold winter. I thought the nice blue tweedy one was synthetic and merrily put it in the washing machine. It ended up about the right size for a 5-year-old. Can't think how I withheld that from mum, but she never did find out.

Does anyone remember "Pippa Dee" party plan company in the 70s? I had Pippa Dee flowery smocks to cover my bump!

Oh yes syberia I remember Pippa Dee parties! My mum was always hosting a party of some sort. It made a nice change from Tupperware .

I've recorded this weeks programme, looking forward to watching.

Oh yes! I remember Pippa Dee! And Pandora parties too!

I made smocks from Vogue patterns in the 70's! And very smart they were too! Can't remember the parties; perhaps they didn't have them in Scotland. Have you seen the new ideas from NCT and no longer promoting breast feeding so hard? There were Breast Feeding Counsellors back then, except mine was about 60 miles away so we never met. All babies were born in hospital; 30 miles away in my case and 60 miles if you lived in Stranrar [babies were often born in the last turn off the A74 before Dumfries!] AND you had to stay in for a whole week! Visits were TO the midwife before the baby not from!

That's a pity if the NCT are not promoting breast feeding so much. Perhaps it is putting off the punters for the antenatal classes?
I think celebs like Posh started the fashion for showing off bumps. What a far cry from tents with maternity support garments beneath.
I wondered about the newborns on TV. I bet there were plenty of volunteers.

eGJ, the Pippa Dee and Pandora parties were all over the place, I think. I live in Fife and at the time of the parties (late 70's -early 80's), was living in a newly built area of housing. Meeting up with other young mums at these parties was a a great way of getting to know each other (really just sussing one another out)!

We were in Kirkcudbright...................a little far from everywhere greenmossgiel and far from the Fifers. And we were "incomers" too! It was mid 70's; the parties sound fun though!

Kirkcudbright - that's a lovely area, eGJ!

Big smile at memories of ric-rac green.

I watched both episodes last night, brilliant! Miranda Hart is excellent. The breech birth scene had me scrunching my toes with memories.

My first DD was a breech, born in a teaching hospital 45 years ago this week. As it was January, and the hospital's first breech delivery of the year, as well as 2 doctors, 2 midwives and a student nurse, about a dozen of the new intake of student doctors attended too. They just turned up...in those days you weren't asked your opinions about anything!

There was a quote in the paper today from the Royal College of Midwives stating that the drama could make midwifery a more popular career choice. Does it really take a TV series to make young women consider it as a career, and if so, what does that say about the women - fickle?

More midwives are certainly needed - it's got to crisis point.

I made a navy roll-colour blouse and a subtle plaid cape, toning of course, to wear to my younger sister's wedding, saving the pennies as well as disguising the very large bump.
My Mum decided it was 'wrong' and took me on a shopping spree which I could ill-afford. She persuaded me to buy bright green ( I've never worn green since!) two piece, bell bottom trousers and a swingy long waistcoat in a woolly fabric (the wedding was in January) together with a green hat with navy band so the navy blouse was deemed O.K. after all.

I looked just like one of Ken Dodd's Diddymen, or a rotund leprachaun!

OGM I loved your discription of the Diddymen but you must remember that they where all happy jolly little people and where loved by everyone,so there lays the similarity.