Call the Midwife

Tuppence - I think you'd be interested in a current exhibition at the Ikon gallery off Broad Street, if you are in or near Brum. It's a collection of black and white 1960s photographs of Balsall Heath before the slum clearances there. It is called 'Varna'. I had a quick look on Saturday but intend to go again and spend more time there. I love the Ikon's musical lift too, the music goes up and down with lift!
Lots of similarities with 'Call the Midwife' and, I expect with your work.

I can now fully understand what my mother went through having me in October 1960...both my parents were still married to other people although not together...my Dad had to pay my mother's husband to divorce her. My Dad wasn't even allowed to visit us in hospital.
They married when I was 18 months old and interestingly I actually have 2 birth certificates...one when I was registered with my mum's married name at the time & another one issued after they married.

I had DS1 in 1971, I was 17, I was very small and he was 9lbs 5oz, my husband waiting outside, and older professional man,(other story) asked if I could have something for the pain and was told 'I did not deserve it', he went ballistic as they say now.
My real Mother was sent to a Church run Mother and Baby home when pregnant with me, she was locked in and to be honest abused. her grandmother made her wear a paper bag over her head with sinner written on it.

When I was at school in the 1930s teachers had to leave when they got married and the civil service did not allow married women.

I, too, was a student nurse in the late 1950's/early 60's. It was expected that any nurse who was intending to get married would apply to Matron for permission. As far as I am aware, this was never refused, but involved a fairly lengthy and 'frank' discussion of all aspects of married life. Needless to say, Matron was a late middle-aged spinster. On one memorable occasion, a newly-married colleague of mine was invited to discuss some 'difficulties' she and her husband were experiencing with said 'expert'.
I must admit I have never ever watched 'Call the Midwife', but it sounds as though the portrayal of the unmarried, pregnant teacher is accurate.

GillT57 So am I, can hardly wait from Sunday to Sunday. Final episode next week. Have never read the book, but people who have can't remember how it ends, who finishes up with who, do certain characters get their cumuppance like e.g."Tuppence".

Also, a terrific adaptation, great acting i.e. Jim Broadbent.

I had a termination in 1979. I was very surprised that 2 women I got talking to were having their 4/5 termination.
Both of these women were in business, and unmarried. They saw nothing wrong in treating this as a form of contraception.

Tigger I am really enjoying War and Peace. There have been a few prudish people complaining about a 2 second flash of man's genitals as he stepped out of the river, what a strange thing to get worked up about when the next scenes were realistic and graphic depictions of a major battle and the subsequent slaughter.

Sorry to change the programme, but what did you all think of the almost full male frontal in War and Peace?

Even in the 70's there were Mother and Baby homes where the babies were adopted at 6 weeks old. It was only in later years that a friend was telling me of her life experience in such a home and how she was expected to give her baby up for adoption and she had very few options outside to keep her baby that I saw the injustice. As shown in the programme it was other women who condemned the teacher.

My view is a that there is no such thing as a single parent, it is just that one parent isn't there for whatever reason.

i was a District Nurse then Health Visitor in Inner City Birmingham !967 to 1974 & can say without hesitation that it was very very similar. We went out on bikes, easier, in all weathers, & met some lovely people, also many challenges. People from many Commonwealth Countries trying to make a new life for themselves, including people from Uganda who Idi Amin deamned to be unwanted in his Country. All very sad.
Many happy memories trundling round Birmingham on bikes amongst the slum clearance programme the Planners & Councillors deemed necessary at the time. Could go on here, perhaps a tv or radio programme ! many funny & special stories to be told.

I was a student nurse in the early 60's in London. Watching the programme brings back so many memories of that time.
I 'm not sure that we had much time to talk to the patients as Sister was always more concerned with her linen cupboard being tidy! Happy days!!

Caught up tonight with 2 nd and 3rd progs and I am finding this series as good to watch as previous series.

I think a lot of people who have never watched Call The Midwife think it is sickly sweet, sweetness and light viewing. It certainly ain't. Good story lines.

It really makes you think, doesn't it! I remember my mother (a librarian) telling me she had to give up work when she got married.

I think it may have been the same for teachers too-or any "profession" employing women. Can anyone confirm?

I really enjoy Call the Midwife. It's harrowing without being preachy. The thalidomide story was particularly memorable, in my view.

Like a poster upthread, I find myself thinking about the programmes long after they've been broadcast.

LCC 1963 - at County Hall was a senior education official named Mr Pink. Part of his duties was to support unmarried pregnant teachers. They left the their school at the end of a term and had a temporary placement in another school until they went on maternity leave. They did not lose their contract with the LCC. I don't know whether the Call the Midwife school being a faith school gave the headteacher more power but doubt it. Poetic licence or something I guess. Harrowing story anyway.

Perhaps for another thread- and get back to Call the Midwife.

Interestingly I found when I was working in the early 70s that I met many women who struggled afterwards to come to terms with their decision to terminate a pregnancy. I was involved in some research for the government into the impact to the Termination of Pregnancy Act and this was a clear finding. I wonder if that is still the same now, as it seems that it is more common and perhaps more used as a form of contraception.

Yes, women who have had multiple abortions are unlikely to be the most emotionally stable or in a position to provide the care a dependent infant needs. Being judgemental about women who make these decisions is neither kind nor does it seem to fit easily with those who claim to be pro abortion. I feel that repeated abortions is similar to those sad and desperate women who go on to have baby after baby, knowing that their histories mean the next baby and the one after that, is almost certain to be removed at birth because of safeguarding issues.

It seems to me that both these courses of action mirror self harm. I don't pretend to fully understand it but I do feel empathy for the women involved who experience loss upon loss.

Frankly, I would think that any woman who has had multiple abortions is probably not emotionally/intellectually/mentally fit enough to cope with the demands and stresses of pregnancy, labour and looking after a new baby.

My feeling is that every baby should be a wanted baby. In the old days many children were born who were not wanted and who suffered as a consequence.

I guess that women who have multiple abortions are likely to have all sorts of issues that make it difficult for them to take control of and organise their lives - this may include addiction to alcohol or other drugs, mild learning difficulties, a chaotic/abusive childhood, etc. etc.

I am completely neutral about parents who decide to either go ahead with a pregnancy which will result in a disabled child being born or who decide to terminate it. Again, I feel it is up to the individuals concerned to decide what they are able, and want, to do.

I love this programme, but haven`t read any of these posts, as we recorded it last night in order to watch Vera, and so haven`t seen Call the Midwife yet.

Strictly speaking, that should be 'instead of' contraception because otherwise it's a nonsense!

sadly polly, health professional who work in the field will tell you that it is far too frequent for some women. There are no available figures on multiple abortions, except that some have up to 9 in their reproductive years. 34% of abortions are repeat, and the more puzzling figures, really, 44% for the over 35s. This is told to be just a 'cumulative' effect reflecting their age- but wouldn't you think that the older a woman gets, the wiser and more informed, etc, she becomes.

Again, as in so many areas- I seem to be neither on one side or the other. I am, as said, totally pro abortion and pro choice- but absolutely and totally against abortion being used as an 'easy' option and a form of contraception.

*their choice

I would suggest that those who use abortion as a form of contraception are very few and far between. The only way you could get an abortion for the "wrong sex" would be illegally. Around 1% of all abortions carried out in the UK are because the baby would have been born disabled. Some parents do continue with some of these pregnancies, but surely that's there choice.

Abortion has become a form of contraception for some but there is the morning after pill , some babies are aborted because they are the wrong sex and there are the little mites who have disabilities