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 would have loved to have my first born out in a nursery for a few hours
I had an awful birth
3 hours later I was lying in blood soaked sheets that I had to change myself and a baby who jf soiled his sheets that I all had to change myself when I could hardly walk or sit
I got out of here as quick as possible
needless to say my next 2 were home births
it was barbaric and I stil think to this day it affected the bond I had with my first born

Mine are 39, 37, 35 and 28. My eldest 3 born in the 1980s in 85, 87 and 89 were put in the nursery overnight.

If a mom was breastfeeding they would bring the baby to her and take the baby back to the nursery after.

By 1996 when I had my 4th, your baby was with you by your bed unless there was an exceptional reason for the baby to be in an extremely, small by then, nursery.

It all changed quite quickly

My daughters were born in 1984 and 1986, both were in the nursery at the hospital. The staff did the night feeds but would bring the baby to you for the first feed in the morning if you were awake, if not they fed them. There was a big viewing window in the corridor so you could go and look at the rows of babies and see if you could work out which was yours (lol). I remember with my first they were busy one morning and I had just woken up when they came to see if I was awake, I was asked to go and get her and wheel her back to my bed. I just stood there looking, I didn’t know which one was mine, a member of staff came by and asked what I was doing, I said “which one is mine” she said I would have to read all the wrist bands till I found her!

In 1977 and 1979 when I had mine, they didn't automatically take the babies away, but if the mum needed to sleep and recover from labour, they were happy to. Our problem with DS1 was that my DH's family had serious allergies to cow's milk, as evidenced by a miserable rash-covered CMPA toddler cousin, and they had to be be EBF at least at first. A lot of midwives at that time didn't 'believe' in allergies and bottle fed the new-borns anyway. So my DS did not leave my side. With DS#2 things had changed and I was warned by the medical team NOT to use commercial baby milk! Both DS are fine.

1st child 1975 straight to nursery 3/4 nights. 2nd child 1979 with me all the time, and same for 2 after.

I had my first 1985 and definitely no nurseries where I was. Think I was in 1 night.

My oldest was born in 2000, there was a nursery but rarely used, and the few babies that used it (2 under a bili light) were brought back to their mothers to be fed.

My second was born in 2002 and it was no longer there.

Read the politics of breastfeeding by Gabrielle Palmer to find out who originally funded these nurseries and why.

It’s not good for newborns to be separated from their mothers.

I had my son during Covid and was in for quite a while and obviously no visitors and one night I begged the lovely night nurse to watch him for a few hours so I could rest as I'd had a complicated birth and didn't have any help because of no visitors. I was really struggling mentally with not seeing my DD and being alone and the anxiety around Covid (this was 3 weeks post the first lockdown) and she took him into the office and gave me a rest.

Not always for me it was an emergency, I had 6 children my longest labour was qan hour and the shortest 7 minutes lol

It was actually great to be able to rest properly, baby taken away for lunch time nap and at night after visiting. I was in for 4 days with my first and left feeling refreshed . So ward nurseries were
not all bad

I second this. And if we keep in mind that there seems to be a direct link from sleep deprivation to PPD you’d think the medical establishment would act like it’s less unheard of for new mothers to require sleep on their wards.

I had both my DDs at The Portland - it was one of two places my obstetrician worked - they pretty much insisted/coerced me into DD1 being taken to the nursery. I was really reluctant but they said as I’d been in labour all night & had an emergency C Section I needed to rest before I went home. I was still reluctant but agreed on the condition she be brought straight back to me if she was crying. They agreed. Try as I might I just couldn’t go to sleep so at 3am, I walked to the nursery to get her and she was crying her eyes out - the only baby crying! They insisted that she had only just begun to cry but I knew they were lying! Imagine just leaving a newborn to cry - my DD15 has suffered extreme separation anxiety her whole life and I’m sure this was where it began!

There’s no chance of mixing the babies up - they have a bar code on their ankle & the mother has one on their wrist. They have to be scanned, matched & signed for. With my second DD I simply refused to hand her over!

I think it cost about £150 a night back in 2008…

I had my babies in the US and the hospital had a nursery. You have to request that they take them though, they don't do it automatically. It's also a "baby friendly" hospital, which means breastfeeding is the default and there's absolutely no formula unless you specifically ask for it, so at the first peep they bring the baby back to feed.

I had two super straight forward ELCS and felt amazing, so I didn't really use it, but packed DS and DD off for their first baths there on day 3. I think they spend about an hour being bathed and cuddled by the nurses and the med students (teaching hospital) before they brought them back for a feed.

I had my baby in France in 2009. I had a difficult forceps birth and was in for a week with very low blood pressure. The baby nursery was so sensitively organized. Baby brought on for feed and cuddles. Bathing baby with other new mum’s and midwives. Amazing.

I had my eldest in 2011 at the local cottage hospital. I had a private en-suite room, and my baby was with me but at night the midwives offered to take the babies while us mums slept (there were only 3 rooms, 2 of which were occupied). They brought my baby to me for feeding, so sort of similar to a newborn nursery but on a smaller scale and more informal perhaps. It was lovely - they also washed our cloth nappies for us - such a shame a lot of these small birthing and recovery units have been closed down now.

When I was born in the '70s it was usual to keep your newborn with you to enable bonding and help with breastfeeding. However newborn nurseries were still an option - I got moved to one as I was born singing and was keeping everyone awake.

I stayed four nights after my youngest was born after a EMCS as it meant I got respite from my three older DC at home with DH🤪 it was the lesser of the two evils. The midwife said we won't kick you out, stay as long as you need to.

It was considered then that the thin watery milk from the breast - precious colostrum - was not nutritious enough and after a couple of days the milk looked like milk. That was the wait.

At that time, babies couldn't focus with their eyes for weeks, could not have facial expressions, any smile was wind. There were other beliefs about new born babies too.

I think it was when the NHS decided they needed to save yet more money. When my first was born I was given advice on how to change a nappy and bath a baby while I was in hospital. When my grandson was born my daughter was turned out at the earliest possibility with no advice whatsoever. I don’t think the changes are for the better.

Depends on how (under)staffed the hospital is. DC2 (born 2022 UK) wasn't given a tag until about a day and a half after the birth. It was an emergency c-section so I don't know if it got overlooked because of that (extra rushing because they had to wait for an operating theatre to become available) but no tag for a day or so & even after one was put on it kept coming off anyway.

My babies were both born in the same hospital - 2014 and 2021.

I was in for 2 nights/3 days with both of them - both c-sections and both breastfed.

I was really, really fortunate. There were only 2/3 other mums on the ward with me, so we each pretty much had a dedicated midwife/carer to ourselves. It was lovely. I was up breastfeeding both of mine throughout the nights, and the lovely ladies would come hand the babies over, and bring tea and toast. They'd sit by my bed and we'd chat about everything and anything.

I remember, with my last birth, absolutely dying to get a shower. I asked the lovely Slovak carer to keep an eye on my baby, had the nicest shower of my life and came back to her gently singing my baby a Slovak song. She helped me on with my clean nightie and those hideous fuckin compression sock things (my third pair, I bled over the other 2 fuckers), and then she French plaited my hair for me . I cried with gratitude. Wailed.

Also, DH came to see us first thing and we were both asleep, having been up allll night feeding. The midwife stopped him at the desk and said "nope.. you can have a wee peek at them and come back for some cake with us, let them sleep, your wife has been a superstar and that little baby of yours has tormented her all night." I woke up to see DH at the desk, eating coffee cake and drinking a cup of coffee.

I have the fondest memories of the aftercare.

And on American tv all patients wear hospital gowns. All those visitors and nobody thinks to bring in some pyjamas!

@snowballsintheoven

Where was this. This sounds amazing! I had two caesarians and the second one I saw not a soul all night. I even had to do my own pain medication from a cupboard in my room that I had to shuffle to and then record - apparently this was part of a pilot to empower mothers manage their own pain, but it is obviously cost cutting

I had my first baby in 2010, I said I needed a shower, midwives said absolutely fine we'll keep an eye.
Had my 2nd last year. I told a midwife my son was up all night, she said aww why didn't you call us, I'll have him now for a few hours. Managed to sleep for a bit.

I guess different parts of the UK n all that?

But where I am, midwives are not that busy. Actually it does depend on the ward as well cuz my sister was discharged same day from the midwifery led unit.

But I was always consultant led so always stayed in for 3 days due to different issues.
Or maybe I was just lucky?

I'm also old enough to remember the 90s when my mum was still having babies.
When she was in labour, ambulance was called which came in a hurry, too funny.

When my oldest sister had her first, they said can you take.a taxi? We were so shocked 🤣
And my little sister, a few years ago had to leave left 3 days after a s.section!
My mum had a section in the 90s
A week minimum they said with a section.
They did have a nursery in the 90s
But only for women who needed the extra help.
My sister gave birth abroad and they took her first baby to nursery, by force. All night she said, and they fed him formula too.
She's still angry about it to this day 11 years later.

Yes I had my daughter in 1990. Difficult birth and I was in for 5 nights. She went to the nursery every night so I got some sleep and they brought her to me for feeding.