Pregnancy advice in 1979?

[catsofa]

I'm pregnant and my mum is no longer with us, so I'm going to miss out on hearing about her own pregnancy with me.

I'd like to read/hear about what advice was given to pregnant women at the time in the UK, 1978/79. Was anyone here pregnant then? Know anywhere I could find any old books or information?

[SignoraStronza]

I was born in 1979. Mum was encouraged to drink stout but hated the stuff so my dad was forced to drink a crate of it instead.
She had (probable) pre eclampsia but as it was the weekend and the consultant was on the golf course they refused to carry out an emergency cs citing her BP being too high.

I was yanked out with high forceps while she was just five centimetres dilated.
Needless to say, was quite traumatic, although she hasn't talked much about it. She caught infection after infection (not helped by the utterly filthy shared bathrooms) and was in hospital for three weeks, during which she went down to six stone. All the while I was in the nursery and sometimes she was allowed to bf, sometimes not. Eventually she summoned the doctors to her bedside and demanded to know exactly what was happening and why she was on each type of meds. Cue much embarrassment when they realised what she was taking was not compatible with each other. Realising no - one knew their arse from their elbow, she discharged herself and put herself in the care of our horrified gp (who came out to the sticks to visit her daily). Conveniently her notes were 'lost'. When she left the hospital, one of the nurses got all tearful when she handed me over!
When she got mastitis at six weeks, the advice was to quit breastfeeding.
I was transported in a carry cot that rattled about in the bank of the van. When I started escaping and crawling around the van, my dad went to the breakers and found a seat to attach.
Mum went back to work when I was three months because the mortgage rates rocketed, so I was left with another local mum.

[SignoraStronza]

Oh yes, and back in those days they wouldn't confirm a pregnancy until a woman had missed three periods (so 12 weeks+). Which is probably one of the reasons my mother wasn't remotely sympathetic when I mc at 7 weeks.

[Grinningcat]

I was born in December 1979. My mum was given the choice of either being induced on the Friday before Christmas or give birth at home with 3 other children and grandparents present because the maternity unit would be shut over the Christmas period. Guess what mum chose!

Mum cut down on her smoking during her pregnancy, but didn't give up.

She only needed gas and air to have me, but I was her 4th DC so I guess she knew what she was doing by then.

Apparently I was also give puffs of oxygen as soon as I was born due to a new idea that it stopped brain cells dying off during the birth process.

[Keptmanskeeper]

My mum gave birth to me in 1978 and to my brother in 1979 in Canada. "Lamaze" breathing was all the rage and my mum was assured that if she did her breathing properly, the birth would not hurt. She said she was rather shocked when it did hurt and wondered if she'd been "breathing incorrectly"...

[babyboomersrock]

I had my third baby in 1979 - the first two were '74 and '77.

After the shave/enema nonsense of the first birth, I hung around at home until it was too late for them to be given. The midwife at my second birth actually told me off ("you're so far along I can't give you an enema!") - oh, how terribly disappointing!

No-one ever asked your permission to do anything - you had internal examinations without explanation and they looked aghast when you asked how dilated you were. It wasn't your business.

On the other hand, I don't recognise many of the descriptions here. Hardly any of us drank regularly anyway (yes, even in Scotland) so that wasn't an issue. As far as I knew, drinking stout was an old wives' tale from the dark ages. People did know smoking was bad, but it was still allowed in hospitals.

I gave birth to my 11lb 3oz baby in hospital (1979) with no intervention - I did tear slightly but it was minimal. When it became obvious that he was even bigger than my previous babies (all over 9lbs), people rushed into the room - lots of them; doctors, students, nurses. I remember two midwives arguing over whose instructions I should listen to - I ignored both and just breathed until he finally got his chubby shoulders out.

I breastfed them all for up to 15 months, started weaning at 6 months - although many other people were weaning earlier. I used terry nappies with them all (and yes, out of daytime nappies by 18 months - 2 was the norm), and was a great believer in fresh air. They did sleep outside whenever possible and we went for long walks every day. Cars were really only used at weekends.

My OH was with me for each birth, so perhaps things in Scotland were more progressive than I'd realised.

[DontstepontheMomeRaths]

("you're so far along I can't give you an enema!") - oh, how terribly disappointing!

That made me smile. My God your baby was big!

[mumtosome61]

I was born a little later ('85) but my Mum was shaved, given an enema and only used terry nappies. She breastfed and took iron tablets. She was also in hospital for a week afterwards - there was no complications, but it was the done thing. She said she hated it and wanted to go home.

My Mum didn't drink or smoke anyway - I should really ask her about her experiences; those above are just a couple I remember her saying.

My DB ('87) was a home birth.

[serialgrannie]

My children were born in the early seventies. I had low iron and remember having to endure huge iron injections into my backside weekly.

Lots of mother smoked and no-one thought anything of it. Alcohol in moderation was fine apparently (although I couldn't stand the taste of it).

No father in labour ward with my first but by my second, DH was allowed in (different hospital). Epidurals hadn't been invented - you just got on with it with some gas and air if you were lucky. I was induced with my first baby (24 hour labour) and the night before I had to listen to a woman in labour screaming at the top of her voice for hours on end. No-one had a birth plan.

Breastfeeding was pretty unusual. Babies were kept in the nursery and brought to mum at feeding times (every four hours). If they cried in between feeds they were left to cry! Mind you, by the time I left hospital (10 days in hospital with my first, 5 days with my second) both babies were sleeping through, probably with exhaustion.

Babies were routinely weaned at around four months. My DD spat everything out until she was about nine months old, so perhaps I shouldn't have persevered.

The medical advice in the 70s was that babies should sleep on their fronts. I had lots of arguments with my mother/older parents about this but was adamant and followed the current advice. Of course that advice has been shown to be quite wrong. Glad mine survived all this and seem to be reasonable adults.

[somewherewest]

MIL had her two sons in Hammersmith in 1981 and in a little hospital hospital in Lancashire in 1984. I forget the details but apparently Hammersmith was much more recognisably modern in its approach to everything. Lancashire meanwhile was still very 70s

[DragonFlyx]

There is a 16year gap with my sister who was born in the 70s... My mum is still against breast feeding because of the information provided back then, and was told to eat liver, pilchards and drink guineas for her iron levels.

Seemed to be the norm to see baby photos with the parents with a fag on haha.

How times have changed!!

[SugarplumKate]

I was born in 75. My Mum was shaved and had an enema before I was born (not quite sure how there was time as she was only in hospital for a few hours before I was born!). Babies were taken to a separate nursery at night and some times during the day. My mum used disposables, they weren't widely available - she had to order them in at Boots in large quantities.

[StillWishihadabs]

I was born in '76. Df was there for the whole thing, I was breastfed for 7 months. Yes to water in a bottle, stout and liver though. Db was born in '87 and was taken away at night and given a bottle . Still bf for 13m.

[BabyMarmoset]

My mum still firmly believes the NCT is some hippy group who are completely crazy. Anything other than epidural and formula feeding is a waste of time because you won't be able to do it.

She dieted through her pregnancy because baby-weight is really hard to get rid of. Insists advice was to go to hospital if you don't feel baby kick by 2pm.

Took 8 years off work and thinks I am completely doolally to want to go back to work within a year. In fact I'm pretty certain she thinks I will end up moving back around the corner from her and my nan and that its impossible to have a baby in London.

[DPotter]

I was a student nurse in 1980 on the maternity unit of a London teaching hospital. There was no smoking on the wards - either ante or post natal. Epidurals were available but tended to send the Mum to sleep so high proportion ended up as forceps deliveries. many mums had pethidine. over 26 yrs was considered a 'geriatric' mother especially for the first one.

Mums could have the babies next to them all day and night although we did take some into the nursery if the mums were tired. dads were allowed at the birth - some did, many didn't. Formula was supplied on the post natal wards so lots of mums did use it. There was limited visiting and anyone who wanted to hold the baby had to 'gown-up' - probably not a bad idea....

Most mums stayed in at least 5-7 days as they all wanted an ambulance home and it took that long to arrange one !

[vezzie]

My brother was born in 1978. My mother was "allowed" to hold him straight away because the MW was surprised by his appearance and not ready. She finds it very touching that the first person to hold both of my water-born babies was me.

Things I remember about my mum's pregnancy:

• Doing exercises with her where we lay down and lifted up our legs repeatedly
  
• fizzy orange flavoured calcium tablets
  
• the midwife coming to the house, letting herself in the back door and shouting "It's the mad wife!"
  
• Dr Scholls clogs
  
• afterwards, my mum running up and down the stairs 20 times every day after lunch (with the clogs left at the bottom)
  
• Big flouncy floral smocks

[LittlePink]

My mum had me in 1977 and used to drink liver juice as she was told it was good for her iron levels. My dad wasn't allowed in the room in 1970 with my sister and stayed at work until he got a call to say she had been born. With me he was in the waiting room and the midwife dragged him in to the room. Whenever I asked him where he was when I was born he used to say "i don't know, I cant remember" because he was embarrassed to have witnessed a birth!!

[LittlePink]

A couple of other things mum told me was I was weaned at 4 mths and regularly in the summertime she would sit me in my big old fashioned silver cross bouncy pram at the top of the path "to get some sun" while she got on with the housework inside! She also would leave me outside shops in the pram while she popped in to get some bits. I cant imagine for a minute anyone doing this now and it completely amazes me she would do that but I guess she thought it was just "safer" in those days?!?!

[NinnyNoodleNoo]

That sounds terrifying, WidowWadman!

I was born in '77 and was one of twins. My twin had died earlier on in the pregnancy and although s/he was delivered, my mother never got to see him/her, they were just taken away. :( I actually don't know whether my mum breastfed or not, but she's very supportive of breastfeeding (Norway has a much better bf rate than here) and a big fan of children getting plenty of fresh air (ie kick them outside as soon as is possible ;) )

[BertieBotts]

Re not being aware of an 8 week miscarriage - the link to the 1970 pregnancy advice as linked somewhere near the start of this thread says most mothers wouldn't be sure of a pregnancy until 3 months or so. Of course you can skip a period due to stress, weight loss, illness etc. And I don't think people treated TTC quite the same then either, I'm sure there was no stressing about ovulation dates, luteal phases and the two week wait thing, it was just stopping birth control and carrying on as normal, probably shagging a bit more often, but I think the average woman probably wouldn't be as aware as we are now about her cycle. Remember you couldn't test at home (and most people now find the wait from ovulation to test date challenging so imagine how it would have felt to wait weeks and weeks and then have to make a doctor's appointment for confirmation.)

[squizita]

Bertie but having experienced multiple losses in the 1st trimester, only some were like periods!
Others were bloodier and involved contractions and big solid clots. And a skin-like "sac" with tissue inside. This is a pretty common form of miscarriage.
So many -even if they didn't know they had been pregnant - would realise.

[jobrum]

I was born in 85 and it's interesting looking at how some things moved on in those six years, some didn't. My dad was lresent for the birth - he even took photos straight afterwards! - but I went down to a nusery so my mum could rest and she was in hospital for a good few days. She drank mint liqueur to help with morning sickness and I know I had milky warm tea with whisky in it in my bottle when I was a baby. I was given little cups of Guinness when I was a todler to help build me up too! By then carry cots on the back seat were still the norm. Breastfeeding was definitely out which explains why my mum thinks I'm crazy that I'm even planning to do it, God knows how she'll react if she sees me actually trying it! It's amazing how many things have changed.

[Sunna]

Some very interesting tales here. Some sound more like the '50s.

DS1 was born in '78. I was told to give up smoking (I did) and to drink in moderation occasionally if I really wanted to. But it was better not to.

I was in hospital for 6 days afterwards, the norm then, so that I could get breast feeding (very much advised) established before we went home.

I was encouraged to wean on baby rice at 6 months and not a day before.

[justcallmethefixer]

I was born in 1979 to a geriatric 1st time mum aged 26, who was advised to eat liver and drink stout for the iron and had a 10 day standard stay in hospital after the birth, with me being cared for in the nursery overnight so she could rest.

[justcallmethefixer]

Then again I had a lovely close to retirement midwife in 1999 who also advised 1/2 a stout and the odd meal of liver and bacon for iron!

[bunglecat77]

I was born in 1977 too - my Mum was a scientist, so she didn't fancy any of that NCT malarkey. She had me in hospital, with an epidural (she still thinks anyone who doesn't have an epidural must be mad - "they're the best thing since sliced bread" apparently).

She remembers being advised to drink raspberry leaf tea near the end of her pregnancy, and to take iron tablets, but there was no recommendations to give up caffeine, or to keep fit. (Unfortunately she's been obese ever since.)

She was only 27, yet clearly remembers being labelled an "elderly prima gravida" by the doctor. And she can't quite believe how much responsibility is given to midwives these days.

She tried to breastfeed and struggled. There was no support, so she did mixed feeding for a few weeks and then switched to formula. With her next pregnancy - twins - she didn't bf at all and that was seen as completely normal.

I was put to bed on my front, and wore terry nappies - under some lovely brown crimplene romper suits, I expect.

And my Mum is fairly sure she had undiagnosed PND - the isolation of giving up work, coupled with the complete change in lifestyle and the bf problems, I suspect. Contrast this with my experience, where as soon I as told the HV I was 'reaching the end of my tether' trying to get DS to nap in his cot during the day, she leapt on those words and practically tried to have me sectioned.

That's what changed, she reckons. Apparently everything else is much the same.

I'm sorry your Mum's not with you any more. Pregnancy made me want to connect more with my Mum, too. Could you talk to an aunt or one of her friends about this?