40 years ago parents didn't stay with unwell babies?

[UndertheCedartree]

Am I right in thinking that 40 years ago if a baby was taken to the big city hospital (from being born at the local town hospital i.e critically ill/likely to die) that the parents and definitely the dad did not go with them?

Definately 55 years ago it was the case. My mums biological child died after 2 months of being in hospital. Dad was told by nurses and docs not to see him. Mum was allowed to but only twice a week
She was told by ward matron to stop coming in because 'it wouldn't help the child and It's unfair on the nurses.' I think 40 years ago it did depend where you were.

I was in hospital in 1986 aged 8 and my mum visited during daytime visiting hours (which were more generous on the children's ward than others).Once parents had left it was a fairly strict routine of teeth brushed etc, everyone into bed who wasn't already there, quiet time with a hot drink and then lights out. As I remember though there were more nurses on duty and they had to deal with the things that parents now do - baths, helping with toileting, comforting if upset etc. It was probably different if the child was very seriously or terminally ill, I hope so.

I was I hospital when l was 11 for 2 days, for a minor op, and my parents were only allowed to visit for an hour in the evening.
I was quiet happy with my pony story book but a bit annoyed with the crying younger children on the ward.

I had many, many major surgeries from the age of 2 upwards, and my mother was never allowed to stay with me outside of visiting hours. It was horrific

Mine were in hospital then, I sat up in a chair, then brought a camp bed. Most of the night I was walking the floor with a crying baby. I was usually the only parent on the ward.Staff were mostly in the office and kids left to cry

No it's because the NHS didn't want to staff it.

This was the late sixties and all through the 70s

And being constantly tethered to parents clearly hasn't done anything to improve the mental wellbeing of modern kids.

I had an eye operation when I was 4 ( so about 48 year ago..yikes)... I was on a children's ward... parents only allowed at visiting time...

That's lovely. I wish my mum stayed with me.

I was in the hospital 10 days with pneumonia when I was 3 in 70s. Mum could only visit during the afternoon.

I was definitely left at hospital at night without my parents. I remember being scared in the dark

All 3 of my children have been in hospital at one time or another, eldest was in SCBU after birth and I’ve stayed with every single one of them when they’ve had a hospital stay, even when my eldest was 17 years old and had surgery I stayed with her for the whole week, and every time I’ve been in the hospital with my children, my husband has had time off work to stay home with my other children!

Lucky you for having a husband able to do that and no other obligations of your own.

I was 4 in 1987 and was admitted to the hospital ward overnight with an asthma attack. My mum slept on some kind of pop up bed next to mine on the ward. I had three brothers at home including a one year old. I remember her commenting though how a two year old had been left on his own overnight on the ward and she thought it was terrible. My dad picked us up the next day after Ronald McDonald and his crew had made their rounds, loved it!

Hmm ds was in hospital in 1995 with severe bronchiolitis. He was in for a week aged 4.5 months. Apart from giving meds, the staff did sweet fa and the little babies who's parents weren't with them were just left to howl. The nurses were often chatting.

DD spent two nights in hospital in 2007 waiting for surgery on a badly broken leg. The nurses didn't even give pain relief by mouth, they gave it to me to give throughout the night. A couple of children came in whose parents couldn't stay because of other children at home. The children were not looked after, they cried and at breakfast no nurse bothered to get them as much as a pice of toast. The ward was not busy and the nurses spent a lot of time giggling and chatting shit at the nurses station.

Certainly for the last 25 years, staff have not been willing to put themselves out to look after sick children in my experience. Under no circumstances would I leave a child, or a parent in hospital alone nowadays.

My son was moved hospital at 24 hours and I couldn't go with him. I wasn't allowed to move.

Maybe it was the norm then, but it still happens now. (He's 12)

I’m sorry you went through that. 💐

Neither, having spent more than I ever wanted to with my daughter in hospital. Doctors didn’t give a shit either, left her without pain relief screaming for hours.

My mother spent 3 weeks in hospital when she was around 8 years old. This was in the late 1950's (not in the UK).
Her parents were not allowed to visit her in hospital, the reasoning was that it would have been too emotional for her and them. But she was allowed visits from other relatives, so she had several aunts and uncles visiting her every other day, but her parents were not allowed. She enjoyed those visits, but she would have preferred a visit from her mother and father!

67 year ago I know my grandad was taken into hospital with pneumonia age 6. I know his parents were only allowed to visit once a week and he was scolded in a bath trying to break fever. I can't fathom how this was tolerated back then

We both took time off work!
our children were and still are even though they’re now adults with their own children, our priority!

I'm late 40's, apparently I was whisked away to another hospital and my DM wasn't able to go with me. She found it very upsetting.

I found it upsetting that DS was taken to a different part of the same hospital without me and I wasn't able to see him until the next morning.

In some countries adults are also expected to be cared for/fed by family. The hospital just does the medical bit.

I remember loving being in hospital as a five year old. Parents and grandparents visited during visiting hours - just in the evening. Everything was set up on the assumption parents weren't around during the day, so you had playtimes, nap times, story times, colouring time etc. All queued up and ate meals in a little dining room, some in wheelchairs. Same for TV time.

There were a couple of small toddlers on the ward and the assumption was that any mobile "big" children would be kind and play with them and keep them company. There were some children from "the country" whose families couldn't visit every day, and other people's parents would bring them sweets and little gifts.

I think none of us would have realized there was a possibility of parents staying, and the whole ward was set up on the assumption that children were looked after anyway. I suspect there were far more junior nurses. Big teenage girls used to wander in and play with us too. Must have been very hard for some, but it all felt very safe and predictable to me at that age and I loved it!