When did newborn nurseries stop being a thing?

[Al991]

Just a question stemming from a conversation with my mum, who said she slept all night after birthing my sister while she was cared for in a newborn nursery in hospital. I’ve only seen this on American TV shows.

I was in labour for 48 hours then had a 1.5L postpartum haemorrhage, a 3rd degree tear and moderately serious surgery but I had the baby with me the whole time and thereafter.

just curious as to when we stopped having newborn nurseries and what the history of this is! Was it part of the push for breastfeeding? My sister was born in 2000.

I can't help feeling that the UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative = mum unfriendly. A well rested and relaxed mother with a bit of patient support is far more likely to establish breastfeeding and bond with their baby even if said baby is taken away to sleep elsewhere for a bit to give mum a break than a mother who is exhausted probably mildly (or more) traumatised from the birth, sleep deprived and unable to adequately tend to her personal hygiene needs.

I doubt that this will change until men who go through major abdominal surgery are required to get up and pick up 4 bags of sugar at a time and walk around with them and are woken randomly at all hours of the night when all they want to do is sleep.

I went home 24 hours with high of my sections. I think if you’re not in too much pain and are mobile it’s probably the best place for you.

There was a nursery when my two oldest were born 1988/1992. It was an option, not a rule. DS went to the nursery the night he was born as I had had a severe postpartum haemorrhage and was on drips and transfusions. They brought him to me for feeding. I was in for a week and had him with me every other night except for one when they were planning a transfusion the next morning.

With my second I was asked if I wanted her to go to the nursery at night but I didn't. Both times I was in for a week because of the bleeding and there were classes/demonstrations on bathing and using cloth nappies and bottle feeding.

By the time I had #3, #4 and #5 (1996/1998/2002) the nursery had gone but if you were struggling a midwife might offer to take the baby for an hour or so.

It's not barbaric letting a mother sleep for a few hours.

They had them but everyone I know said they came of and they did for DD1.

It was actually the best women bonding experience of my life. We were all very different, mix of nationalities (although there was a war going on between India and Pakistan with Bangladesh also involved and there was a strict Indian ladies in one ward and Pakistani ladies in the other ward, not sure where Bangladeshi ladies went but the Asian menu was definitely the best food and we all waited till they had eaten in case any curries left over.) New mums, 2nd and 3rd time mums. One midwife was sat at her desk in the middle of the ward so always easy for her to spot anyone who was struggling or for us to approach if we needed help.

The facilities were terrible, the hospital was gradually being rebuilt and we were in the condemned children's wards as that was the only space available. Maybe it was the adversity of it all that brought us together.

As long as Sister wasn't about it was great but she had a kind streak. She always approached new mums on the ward and her script was basically "You gave birth today so today you are a princess and we will do everything for you, tomorrow you are a mum and will get on with that." The only day in my life I've been a princess!

The noise was the downside.

I would have loved time to sleep after my DC was born. I remember a young midwife snapping at me that my baby was in wet clothes and looked at me with horror that I wasn't jumping up to change her. I was exhausted and the trouble is that these things stay with you and make you feel like a terrible mother from the start. What with that and the pain I felt trying to breast feed, I felt awful by the time I went home that night.

Had my first child in 1986. The rule was you had to stay in for 7 days to rest and reduce infection. If you had a CS then it was 10 days. Once home, the midwife would come every day for a month to see both mum and baby. You were not supposed to go out for 14 days once home...again to reduce infection. My mum came around everyday to help with my baby until I could go out and this was normal where I lived.

On the ward the nurses were quite strict but in a nice way. They really cared about you and wanted mums to rest and recuperate. The nursery was an option and most mums on the ward accepted when I was there. It gave the opportunity for you to have a full nights sleep. They also showed you how to bathe and dress the baby and care for the umbilical cord. Help with breastfeeding. I remember lots of tea and toast!

Everything was provided for you; nappies, formula feed (if wanted), nightdresses, sanitary pads etc. Visiting restricted to 1-2pm and 7-8pm. The ward went to sleep for an afternoon nap at 2pm.

It had all changed by the time I had my third child in 1991.

In the mid nineteen nineties I had my fourth child. I wanted to make sure I had as much rest as possible before going home to look after new baby plus three small children. Because of this and because I had decided to formula feed, postnatal staff were happy for baby to be looked after in nursery overnight. It was wonderful!

DS born in Hackney Mothers' Hospital in 1984. after ong labour, perineal cut, forceps and stitches. DS kept in ?side ward? (not a nursery, nearby somewhere) at first so they could keep an eye; I was too sore to move. Then in 'glass cot' at bedside. Remember having a bath (think a nurse ran it for me) and hearing DS crying - v loud even then. Nurse came running in: Mrs Ggg, your baby's crying! Me: I can't get out of the bath! She must have helped me out, I think. Lovely hospital, founded by Salvation Army - long gone now. (I'd forgotten all that. Thanks @Al991 for bringing back happy memories of holding a firstborn, beautiful despite forceps bruising and stork mark. Oh, those tiny weeny fingers... )

What a ridiculous thing to say. What about single mothers or fathers at home taking care of siblings?

I agree with this entirely. As I have said on here before, I think modern parenting techniques are a perfect recipe for PND, although of course this won't be evident until research is done later down the line. Mums on here are VERY keen on research and quoting it back as if nothing has ever been researched about babies ever, so it will be interesting to see what the reaction will be if it highlights the negative aspects of techniques they are convinced are so very, very right and the absolute definitive way to parent.
I read the angst about 'wake windows' and 'contact napping' and the conviction that's entirely normal for toddlers not to sleep and - as is evident from the snarky responses eg from @Meowcat - the silly extreme and uncompromising views that clearly show she thinks modern mums are superior (research, research!), and I am glad I had my babies when they were to get enjoyed and cherished the whole family, not jealously guarded mum because 'bonding'

My mum was in 10 days with me in the 60’s and that was apparently standard.

No wonder breastfeeding was so more successful 50 years ago.

I had my first in 95 and last in 2006, to be fair they did take baby off of me in 2007 for a few hours so that I could sleep post haemorrhage.

When my Mum had me in 1955, she was in the maternity home for two weeks, during which time I was apparently mostly in the nursery, but brought to her to be fed. She said most of the Mums were breastfeeding, so the babies were brought to them for feeds.

When I had my DD in hospital in 1989, she was with me all the time from the start.

Higher employment rates - more women in workplace so can't do free caring labour once common - retirement not till 68 talk of state pension being pushed to 70, families smaller - fewer siblings cousins aunts to help out - and more geographically disperse due to work and house prices and longer work days and commutes. Also older parents often means kids and elder care can be needed in same years often with both parents working.

My Dad was lucky to have family who could do hospital visits and basic care because in NHS wards he was in it was often shocking lacking.

It's not going to get better - government needs more workers to pay tax as society ages.

Remember when mine were young - a nursery worker back when she really wanted to be home looking little baby - her baby was with childminder who was trying to be around for her school aged kid but needed some income - and nursery worker was looking after young baby as her Mum needed to work as basic maternity pay not enough to cover bills- all needing to work as needed more money all really wishing the could focus on their child- with cost of living that's only got much worse.

Only every heard of this in relation to my MiL and DH - back then new mums were in hospital for 10 days, baby taken away and returned to mum for feeding, but mother given ‘rest and recovery’ time away from home. Back then they still believed in the leaving your crying baby in a pram at the end of the garden though…

Lots of research on maternal attachment came out in the late 60’s/early 70’s that showed that developmental outcomes for babies over their life-times were positively impacted when a baby was securely attached - and that MH outcomes for mum (PND etc) were also significantly improved in secure attachment scenarios. As a result, babies were no longer removed from their mothers but kept within reach and a more hands-on parenting style was encouraged from the moment of birth. It still informs post-natal support for mothers today, although the lack of flexibility where mothers may be single, struggling, from impoverished homes or have little home support means that the one-size-fits-all approach does not serve all mothers. According the the NIH incidence of PND increased from 10.3% to 23.9% in the ten years from 2014 to 2024, so I’d say there needs to be a more circumspect review of maternal outcomes with current maternity practices.

I’m cynical enough to assume that the cost savings for the NHS, and the ability to send mums home within 48hrs also contributed to the ready embrace of this philosophy!

The programme just featured one nurse Pat who is a bit of a Portland legend. There were always at least 3 on duty plus a very high ratio of midwives on hand.

I am very pro-breastfeeding, for those who want to and it works, and I EBF both of mine - but what I really hate about bf-ing (or the way society has decided to interpret bf-ing) is the way others around have turned it into an excuse to do nothing. At some times when I was tired (exhausted actually, including after a 3rd degree tear at birth, and at other times when I had two small ones) I would have loved to have stayed in bed and been brought a baby to feed by someone who knew how to settle a baby and look after it other than feeding. But no, everyone is all "well she wants to bf so what can I do" and you drag yourself about at all hours of the day and night without a break. Having that service performed by professionals immediately post partum sounds like an absolute dream.
I agree with all the PPs who call the post natal care many suffer barbaric and also that in the medium / long term it negatively impacts the baby as well as the mother.

Agree with this too. When my babies were born, the emphasis was very much on the mother's recovery, with the baby expected to fit in around the rest of the family.
On here I see women running themselves into the ground, trying to look after other children while never permitting the baby to whimper, going to bed at 7pm because they dare not let baby out of their sight and spending many frustrating hours 'nap trapped' under a baby who 'refuses to be put down'.
How us that any good for the mother, who the baby is relying on?

My oldest was born in 2012 and it didn't happen then. Though the maternity ward was super quiet (just me and another mum). She has a very unsettled baby and I had a very mucousy baby. The midwife's saw our exhaustion and took the babies for a couple of hours. There was no chance of mixing babies up though one was blonde and a girl and my baby was black haired and a boy. The midwife's were fabulous but did say they normally haven't got time to take babies to help mums. I felt so much better after a sleep

It wasn't barbaric, it enabled mothers to sleep and rest after the birth. A well rested mother is usually a good thing IMO.

Indeed. Both dads and hospitals use breastfeeding as an excuse to be absolutely useless.

If mum is breastfeeding and recovering, in the early days at least someone else should be doing everything else.

But instead dads retreat to the spare room "because she's breastfeeding, what can I do?", and hospitals use it as an excuse to give shit care.

And hospital budgets…

My DS was induced due to hemorrhaging during pregnany and he arrested and was rushed to the NICU but I had a really bad tear that took hours to sew up that they had to call a specialist in for so couldn't go with him.

About 8 hours after he was born I was finally 'allowed' to go to the NICU (a long walk when I could barely stand to a room with no seating or anything where I had to stand) and when I walked in the woman with him instantly declared 'mums here, just in time'.

What was I 'just in time for' you might be wondering, maybe a cuddle of my baby that I hadn't really met yet?

Nope I was handed a nappy and told he had just had his first bowel movement and how 'lucky' it was that I was there to do it. I didn't get to hold him, I got to scrape tarry poo off while in agony with my legs buckling under me then kicked back out for the privacy of others.

I should point out that not once did they ever suggest DH (who was there) should change him, in fact when he offered they actively rebutted it with 'oh, but mum's here to do it'. I felt wildly sexist and uncaring.