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.

Haha I agreed with this statement before my kids. Baby1 contractions for 3 hours waters break birth 15 mins later baby two waters break no pain for 48 hours baby born after second contraction baby 3 contractions for 2 hours waters break baby born 5 mins later baby 4 was waiting to be induced contractions started at 730 waters broke 740 baby born 746 xx

Things must have changed between the 50s and the 60s. I was born in the 50s. My parents were living in one bedroom at GPs house, small terraced house with my aunt and uncle also living there. My sibling was sharing parents rooms. There was no hot running water in the house, no bathroom and the toilet was at the top of the yard. When my mother asked for a hospital birth the house was visited and she was told she had adequate facilities for a home birth and was not allowed to book for a hospital birth.

My cousin was born in 86. I distinctly remember going to look at him in the nursery through a glass window. Se London if that makes a difference.

I agree. And then advising them that they have to keep their babies with them continuously. Apparently never being able to sleep, wash, go to the toilet without taking the baby. It's also nonsense to talk about that being bonding. If that was the case hundreds of thousands of previous babies would not have bonded with their parents. As with all things we've gone from one extreme to another. There is a happy medium.

Personally I found it pretty barbaric to have prem twins in with me in a ward, trying to establish breastfeeding and deal with two babies alone as visitors were only allowed at certain times.

I was only in for a few days, one of them the nurses took pity on me and took them to the corridor for me as it was completely impossible to sleep.

I had mine in the early 70s and yes for the first three nights the babies were in the nursery and brought to us to feed. I was in for 8 days which was normal, we were pampered looking back on it now. Nobodies partner staying at all hours, 1 hr visiting in the afternoon, partners, husbands only. 2 hrs in the evening and only 2 at the bedside.
Fabulous 3 meals a day, babies taken away for an hour in the afternoon so we could all have a nap as well. My Gp popped in to see me when I got home from the hospital to make sure everything was ok. He actually delivered mine in the hospital, he loved delivering all his pregnant mums.

My DMum in 70s said she was given no choice about keeping her babies with her and they discourage bf - which she'd wanted to do - and gave bottles in nursery when asked not to.

So I can see why mothers advocated for change - at very least some flexibility in approach not one size fits all - it's just gone rigidly in the other way with all mother' expected to be able and want to have babies with them what ever shape they are in.

I didn't like DH being sent away immediately put on ward though it was late but all day - 9 to 7 visiting times meant really loud ward and little privacy - Mum said they had few hours visiting and could sleep - no chance of that in ward I was on.

Plus now it's expected you have visitors to help you and bring things in - even on other wards - someone will take washing and make sure you eat. With third pg if I'd gone into hospital it was expected I'd have someone with me - to point I was told by a young MW I wasn't allowed to go in by myself .

Yes I remember the disapproval of breastfeeding in the 70s. On the ward I was on breastfeeding mothers weren't allowed to go to the dining room until Sister said they could and she made sure that by the time we got there we had very little choice about food. Particularly bad at breakfast time as that was the best food of the day.

We were such rule followers back then.

And this is exactly what we shouldn't be going back to. Anyone who refers to this as pampering really doesn't understand the importance of attachment in babies.

And this is exactly what we shouldn't be going back to. Anyone who refers to this as pampering really doesn't understand the importance of attachment in babies.

what happens to the babies that don't get the attachment?

Here’s an idiots’ guide, so to speak…

https://www.nurturingparenting.com/images/cmsfiles/long-term_effects_of_the_failure_of_childhood_attachment.pdf

It has gone too far the other way. Women shouldn't be forced to take care of a newborn 24/7 when struggling and recovering.

I'd be interested if there are any studies showing the optimum post natal care routine and stats for post natal depression. I suspect that making mums care for a newborn on no sleep and with a catheter increases the rates.

I was after information about attachment from the first few days or weeks as a baby - this seems to relate to older children and is many maybe outcomes. Do you have something that is a study?

This thread shows there should be 2 different option for the 2 different groups of women because like everything not everyone agrees.

I have done it 3 times and had 3 wildly different experience giving birth in 3 different places in 3 different decades.

For me the last one at the birth center was no brainier hands down the best experience. Private room/bathroom, partner stays 24/7, they have a kitchen to make you food any hour of the night or day, the building is designed so you can't tell night from day (to stop labor stalling and encourage rest), your own midwife stays and who does everything for you including make sure you sleep with the aim to be released as quick as possible (within 48 hours) once you are rested/recovered.

It was great, it however has strict rules that exclude lots of mothers (I had to get special permission, have management meetings and sign away the right to sue if I died due to being higher risk. Usually only no risk people can use it) you cant use the service if you have a C-section etc... which is a shame because its what every woman deserves in my opinion.

I acknowledge and accept that other ladies here have different taste to me but honestly for me a big ward full of chatty mams sharing 'advice' and crying on each others shoulders with only 1 hour strict visitation and babies being whisked of to a nursery for a week+ stay is my absolute living nightmare.

Both options should be a choice though so people can pick whats best for them.

Attachment isn’t about ‘how the baby is’ during the first few days - it is, instead, a phenomenon (mother-baby bonding) established during those first few days and if it does not happen all the studies show that it impacts later development over the course of an individual’s life, both in childhood and adulthood is likely to be negatively impacted - as set out that attachment. They are not ‘maybe’ outcomes, but empirically proven associated issues arising from studies of thousands of babies. These studies have been replicate over the last 60 years in repeated studies, across cultures.

They started with observations of bonobo apes where orphaned babies were not shown to thrive and even when given an inanimate attachment objects (a toy) they failed to thrive and most of them died. Breastfeeding is supposed to support the mother-baby bonding process and facilitate a more secure attachment style, which is another reason why there is focus on it. There can be some fairly immediate observed behaviours of poorly attached babies - failure to self sooth, higher incidence of colicky behaviours etc, but these are linked as it is difficult to establish whether these behaviours are innate and contribute to the poor attachment or arise as a result of them.

However, the impact of failure to attach/poor attachment styles is far reaching (dick-head aloof husbands may have been poorly attached, for example).

With my first in 1997 I had a night nursery. You didn't have to have the baby in the nursery. It was your choice.

American here. Nurseries are still a thing, and the use of them is entirely mom's discretion. Mixing up babies is exceedingly rare, since the baby, mom and dad are all braceleted, security guards are watching, babies outside of mom's rooms must be in a roller crib at all times and only mom or dad is allowed to take the baby out of the nursery.

Mixing up babies happens in the UK, too, btw. www.today.com/parents/moms/swapped-at-birth-rcna149423

If you want a literally primative explanation of attachment theory then google harlow's monkeys. A bit disturbing but this is the early research which inspired attachment theory

Wow. Just wow.

Reminds me of an NHS antenatal class. One partner said he’d rather their baby was bottle fed because then he could help with feeding. Quick as a flash the midwife replied “You can help with feeding: you feed the mother and she feeds the baby”.

Looks like that was lost on the sister in your case 😡

My first was unexpectedly admitted to NICU so my first night's sleep was minus baby, albeit with waking to hand express every 3 hours. It was such a wonderful night's sleep and really took me into the next days well rested. He was in transitional care within 48 hours where I had a bed alongside and did all his care, much like the postnatal ward. It was really lovely going to sleep knowing he was well cared for next door by nurses.
Compared to second's birth, in the lovely birthing centre where baby stayed with me all night. Obviously I was pleased to have my healthy baby beside me this time but I got not a wink of sleep with the nerves of her next to me and being on high alert that she'd wake!

I had my first in 1998 and the hospital had a nursery , they offered to take her so I could get some sleep but I said no. By the time I had my second I would definitely had said yes but they no longer had one.

https://www.aims.org.uk/

It's been at least 20 years. My grown up DC was with me the whole time in hospital. I needed someone with me, but I was alone. It was pretty bad tbh.

I had my first in 1993 and 2nd in 1995. There was a nursery where babies went if Mum needed a rest and decent sleep. It was absolutely bloody marvellous and they were cared for overnight and baby brought to you for feeds.It certainly didn’t affect bonding,if anything it was more beneficial because I had a decent rest . I think it was when a baby went missing from a nursery when the rules changed.

That's a huge website, can you direct us to some of the relevant papers, research or notes?