Call the midwife

Oh, me too. I've had a b*****r of a day and this just finished me off

They didn't overdo the tear jerking, I thought Sister Monica Joan in the cinema and her prayer of suplications were so funny .

A bit of a weepy again. Sniff, sniff.

Tears here too.

Another sore throat from me tonight.

Right, so I sobbed my way through the last 10 minutes tonight

I remember the afternoon naps very well. I loved it!
I had my first baby in 78 and spent 11 days in hospital. My DIL had twins and was out after 12 hours!
I had problems with breastfeeding and I was advised to drink stout. Dad was a publican so he turned up with a crate of the stuff, which I kept under my bed. The 2 other women on my ward were also having difficulties so I shared my crate with them, plus, the husband of one of the women used to bring in a foaming jug of home brew each visiting time. That was shared out too!
Each evening you would hear the chink of glasses as we each downed a pint or two. The ward smelt like a brewery!

Oh yes, I'd forgotten the afternoon nap sleeping on your stomach!

Sadly, Guinness wasn't supplied by the hospital I was in. I recall a friend who had a baby in a nursing home saying that there was a crate of Guinness outside each ward and mums could just help themselves to what they wanted. I can imagine both mums and babies slept very well in that maternity home!

She didn't agree with the then new-fangled fashion for putting babies to sleep on their tummies and encouraged mums to put their babies on their backs to sleep.

SueDonim, my fabulous first midwife, Sister Rumball, did insist that her “ladies” lie on their stomachs for a nap after lunch every day in the post-natal ward. Lights out, babies wheeled into the nursery, no talking. We felt so cared for. Especially when we woke up to a pre-dinner bottle of stout!

She is the daughter of Kate Burton

I didn't know that grannya!

I knew that she was in a singing group.
Must check that out.

No, I didn't know that g.a., R.B. had the most fabulous speaking voice, so it's not surprising that 'Nurse Barbara' also has/had fine vocals.

Was anyone else surprised to discover that Charlotte Ritchie, Nurse Barbara, is the granddaughter of the actor Richard Burton? She also has a really beautiful singing voice.

I could post a photo of my friend, respected teacher, in her youth but she could be on here and I would embarrass her

*And lots of young people went through a 'hippy' stage, not all took drugs.
Some of them even went on to become doctors, teachers, engineers, scientists*

Exactly, jalima. My brother, for one.

Gransnet can be so heavy sometimes. Light hearted comments will soon become a rarity.

merlotgran Your mum's remark about tadpoles really made me laugh.

Our very nice young neighbour in the 1970s had been 'a Borstal boy' and he reckoned that it put him on the right path in life.

And lots of young people went through a 'hippy' stage, not all took drugs.
Some of them even went on to become doctors, teachers, engineers, scientists

Thanks Blinko that's where I've seen her before - and in other things too, but that was what I was trying to remember.

No, I don't think it's been mentioned previously and if it was I missed it!

I'm currently working to help a young homeless man who has a court hearing on Friday; attending a woman who is receiving end-of-life care; running a house church AND I have a very pregnant daughter! Throw me back to the 1960's and I could be part of next week's storyline on CtM.

I think those of us who can remember the 1960's from start to finish will recognise a lot of the issues on C.T.M. People were prejudice, snobbish, disapproving. Kindly people were!! Approved Schools were draconian, the panel at the young man's hearing would have been exactly like that in 1963, I worked for a Probation Officer in the early 1960's, and the court hearings for young people were very - terrifying!! some of the misdemeanours heartbreakingly trivial, with Borstal as the 'punishment'! I agree Dr Turner is a bit soppy, but at least he is cast as caring, (a lot of medical professionals weren't) in an often uncaring world, if you were poor, from overseas, handicapped, a perceived misfit in one way or another. Why hope that Timothy becomes a hippy? In order to wreck his life, cause his parents heartache? die of an overdose? How disingenuous is that?! I hope Timothy becomes a first class physician and like his father, works amongst disadvantaged people, does a lot of good in this world and is a credit to his parents. Why would you wish otherwise?!

...if it's been mentioned...

I haven't read everything, so apologies of it's been mentioned. Does anyone remember Linda Bassett in Larkrise to Candleford? She was the village wise woman and herbalist with the dodgy little man, Twister, for a husband. She's been great in both parts, mo.

Yes, Phyllis reminds me of the midwife I had for postnatal care back in the 70's, Miss Thomas. An older spinster, kindly but no nonsense.

She didn't agree with the then new-fangled fashion for putting babies to sleep on their tummies and encouraged mums to put their babies on their backs to sleep. I sometimes wonder how many babies' lives she saved with that advice.

I love CTM but I've really had enough of soppy Dr. Turnoff.

If the series makes it to the late sixties I hope Timothy drops out and becomes a hippy.

Phyllis reminds me of the stern but kind midwife who delivered DS at home. She asked my mother to sterilize some empty jam jars. Apparently they were to be used for keeping cotton wool buds and other bits and pieces clean and accessible.

I don't think she was very impressed when Mum muttered, 'I thought she was having a baby, not tadpoles.'

Surely any writer of fiction, (and sometimes non-fiction) is manipulating our feelings? That's the whole point - to make you experience something other than your own life, I'd have thought.