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?

My mum used to leave us in our prams in the porch to cry! They also used to strap the pram carrycot in the car - how anyone thought putting their kid in what was effectively a cardboard box on the backseat was a good idea I'll never know!

In her case my brother couldn't feed directly from her for a bit & her breast milk was feeding all the other kids in the icu!

They weren't allowed to go home for 5 days or until they were feeding properly. I would've benefitted from a rule like that last time!

Apart from that she's rubbish at remembering. I reckon she was pissed throughout the 80's!

Car seats weren't for crash safety though when first invented. They were just to stop the baby/toddler from rolling or climbing around on and off the seats. I think car crashes were so catastrophic at the time that they didn't really bother trying to prevent injury during them as it was a bit of a losing battle. You just hoped you didn't have one (of course there was less traffic on the roads too.)

The description in Roald Dahl's "Boy" about the car crash where his nose comes almost clean off always makes me feel a bit queasy!

I find this a fascinating subject, but very little of what I'm reading here resonates with me, most of it sounds more like the 50s, so applicable to my mother's generation. My first pregnancy was in 1979, I had my first baby in 1984 and my last in 1988. Home testing was freely available from my first pregnancy and by the time my daughter came along in 1988 I even used an ovulation kit. Scans were used in each pregnancy, no shaving or enemas were offered, epidurals were commonplace and the only person who ever mentioned stout was my mother, and then only to joke about how funny it was that back in the day they thought it was good for the milk. I did use terry nappies with my eldest as the disposables were crap, but elasticated legs came in before I had my second eighteen months later, and that was the end of the Harrington squares. I went to NCT, was encouraged and supported with bf and never gave rusks to any of my babies. Maybe it was all dependent on where one lived.

So fascinating. I was born in 1977, and my mum had GP led care. She had x-rays of her pelvis to check all was well! She had pre-eclampsia and went into labour early at 37 weeks (but was already in a special unit which her GP attended). She had an epidural, but I had the cord wound round my neck and it became a c-section, which despite the epidural meant she had to have a general anaesthetic. But her GP led the whole birth thing and did all her antenatal care. I was bf, but she was encouraged to give water as well. Standard carry-cot on the back seat of the car on the way home after her restful week long stay in hospital, where she felt well looked after.

I was born in 1971, my youngest sibling was born in 1979. Mum was told to stop smoking when pregnant with me, started again after I was born, then stopped when pregnant with DB1 and didn't start again. She drank Sweetheart Stout for the iron when pregnant, was in hospital for a week each time (Ddad was amazed when I had a 6h discharge when DD2 was born) - admittedly my SIL also had several days in the same small hospital when she had my DNs. Routine episiotomies and shaving. No pain relief because she didn't like G&A. Dad present at my birth, but not DB1's because he was fixing a piece of machinery, think he was at the others.

BF all of us, 10 mins on each breast each time, weaned straight onto unpasturised cows milk (our own cow) at anything between 3 months to 7 months (I like to remind her when she expresses horror at how long I've BF that she BF me for double the time recommended when I was a baby). Solids introduced between 6 and 16 weeks.

Suspect she was quite a hippy, it was all yoga and homemade brown bread when I was growing up, not that she'd ever admit that now!

MIL had her children between 1967 and 1971. Her first pregnancy she was unconscious (because that's what rich women in America did in the 1960s), her second pregancy she was in the UK and had a natural birth with only a midwife in attendance - the doctor thought the baby would be a while yet and so went to play a round of golf, SIL came faster than expected! Early adopter of disposables in 1970 (Mum had all of us in terries). BF all her children but only for the regulation 3 months, then transferred to formula, despite BIL having a CMPA.

Oh, I forgot the best bit. When she came off the pill to have me she didn't have a period the next month, went to the doctor and said 'I think I'm pregnant' and he said 'you probably are, come back in five months'. Of course five months later she was indeed pregnant and she had a due date based on her LMP. That date came and went and the doctor examined her and declared 'this baby isn't ready to be born yet' and I arrived a month later, a normal weight and size. She said with furture children she came off the pill, waited till she had a period, then TTC. No scans in the north of Scotland in the early 1970s.

When I had DS he was born a month early (based on both the scan dates and my LMP) but was 7lb7oz. All my friends said 'good thing he didn't go to term'. All my Mum's friends said 'did she get her dates right?'

'Everything, including baby gowns, maternity pads, and so on, was supplied by the hospital.'
I had all my DCs in the US between 1990 and 2001 and it is the norm there still. I never brought a single nightie or pair of slippers to hospital with me. I went home with a full kit with DD1 including perineal irrigation bottle to spare me the rigours of wiping for a few days after all my derriere had been through, chemical ice packs for soothing all the stitched areas, waterproof bed pads, a packet of newborn size diapers, maternity pads for me, nipple shields, all the little hospital vests and hats DD1 had worn, and best of all a medela breastpump and spare bottles because I was breastfeeding.

I was born in the late sixties. My mum and her GP always had a cig together during her visits. He told her not to put on more than ten lbs as she just five feet tall. He booked her csection date for her six months in advance and her scar is ginormous. It took her almost a full twenty four hours to really wake up from the general anaesthesia. She did enjoy her 10 day hospital stay. She said it really did give her time to recover from surgery whilst learning to care for me. Everyone smoked on the floor day and night. Dad drove us home, with me on mum's lap.

My DS was born in early 1976, when I was 28 - and described as an elderly primip! My GP prescribed iron and folic acid and I had regular antenatal checks. Was allowed to go to term +10 but though slow labour had begun I went in to be induced. Shave, enema, bath, waters broken, drip. Offered an epidural but I had read my Sheila Kitzinger and refused. When they offered again a couple of hours later I snatched their hands off!

Got very tired at the end so DS helped out with forceps. Lots of very careful embroidery, which healed very quickly and have never had a problem since. Husband not present, which suited me fine. I was never left alone for a second by the staff.

DS off to nursery, me to ward. The following day the registrar who delivered me came to say he was sorry it had all gone a bit pear-shaped but it wasn't my fault and there was no reason why I shouldn't have a perfectly normal delivery next time. (When I read all the horror stories I often wonder if a chat like that would have helped some of those poor traumatised women feel less guilty.) I breastfed to three months and would have carried on but the support wasn't there - if I'd known then what I know now...

Stayed in for eight days. Babies were in the nursery at night so you got some rest. There were lessons in bathing and nappy changing - and the afternoon session of pelvic floor exercises, which was a hoot.
Midwives visited at home for two days as you had to have ten days midwife care.

Health visitor was a useless thing (so nothing much changed there, then?) who removed DS's nappy while holding him on her lap. She was wearing a new sheepskin coat at the time. Even I knew that wasn't a good idea. She didn't come again after that, as I was obviously coping beautifully! I was, and was very lucky. Sailed through pregnancy and DS was a lovely easy baby who fed well and slept well, mostly. We were advised to put them to sleep on their fronts to reduce the risk of choking. Terry nappies with liners so that liner and poo went down the loo. Nappies then went into a lidded bucket of Napisan, then into the twin tub for a boil wash. As DS was a winter baby we bought a tumble dryer, which was a Godsend. Disposables were around but very expensive and not very effective.

Sorry! What an essay. But I do think we got a lot right. All this was in a large Northern city, by the way. And baby Ds is now not far off forty and a healthy six-footer who adores his own child just as much as I adored him all those years ago.

I asked DM as she had my brother in 1977 what her experiences were like.

She said everyone arrived at hospital and had an enema, shave and a bath. She got really annoyed with me for asking whether enemas and shaving we're actually needed as she cannot understand why it's not done anymore. She said she had never heard of anyone having a poo in labour and couldn't think of anything worse and that shaving made sense if you needed stitches afterwards. She also has a theory that hospitals had less infections because everyone had a bath first then....?

She said everyone laid on their backs and had their legs in stirrups to give birth. I asked if she minded, wouldn't she have preferred to stay mobile and she said "we were too frightened to do anything other than what the doctors told is to do".

She thought the aftercare was much better than it is now, she stayed in hospital for 10 days after having my brother, all the mums were taught how to change nappies and bath the baby before going home. Visiting hours were strictly adhered to and that was a good thing in her opinion. All the babies were taken to the nursery overnight and bottle fed. I asked about mums who wanted to breastfeed and she said "I can remember a few woman who wanted to breastfeed and got a bit upset".

She said after getting home the midwives would visit every day for 10 days and everyone weighed their babies once a week at the health visitors.

Overall she thinks the birth itself is much better managed now as it was over medicalised then, but cannot think why enemas aren't routine and that the aftercare is shocking now and wonderful then.

In 1980 I do think the after care was much better. The norm for a first baby was a six night stay so breast feeding was established. For a second baby it was two or three nights but if there were any problems mothers could stay in longer. The babies were with us all day but were taken to the nursery at night. For the first night a new mum was allowed to sleep. From the 2nd night when baby woke mum was woken by a nurse and she had to go to the nursery to feed and change nappies. So the ward was fairly quiet and you could get some sleep.

This was in a nursing home. I gave birth to my first three DC there and was lucky enough to get to know the nurses and midwives. Not sure what it was like giving birth at the large teaching hospital in the city.

By the time I had DS3 (mid 90s) the nursing homes were all closed and everyone gave birth in the main hospital. The actually delivery experience was good, but I couldn't escape fast enough........I can't think of anything good about the aftercare. This was not the fault of the staff. They were so busy.

Another major difference was that in 1980 you just took a case with what mum to be needed to hospital. As some one else has said the hospital provided everything,

All cot bedding and enough to change it regularly
Vests and little nightgowns
nappies
cotton wool
Breast pads and sanitary towels.

Asked my mum about the variety in stories. She said yes is was REALLY varied. Eg she lived in the catchment area for 2 hospitals: one had scans as routine, modern kit, no shaving etc. One had no scans, shave and enema, no men etc. She chose the modern one but many were nervous as it was a big teaching hospital- or the GP never mentioned how different they were!
This was in 78.

I never had a real choice back then. The big teaching hospitals took the more complicated births/older mothers. As an healthy 22 year old I was sent to the nursing home. Doctors came from the main hospital to do the antenatal clinics. If a problem came up or if you need a scan (not routine then) you were transferred.
If anything went wrong in labour it was a blue light to the main hospital. I do know of a couple of friends who had this happen.

This was in a rural area. Must have been different in a city.

Your first experience sounds amazing ShowMeTheWond

My mum had me and my twin brother in 77. There were no scans then and she basically diagnosed herself as carrying twins. She looked in the mirror at about 28 weeks, saw 2 fairly distinct bumps and phoned the midwife. She had to wait another couple of weeks to get seen, had a student midwife examine her who said "there's an arm, there's a leg, there's another leg, there's another leg, oh..." The senior midwife had a feel and said "bloody hell, there's more than one in there"
They confirmed it was twins by giving my mum an X-ray where she had to lie on her belly, at 30 weeks pregnant with twins! Not the most comfortable experience!

Back in 1978 my GP's surgery at the time referred absolutely everyone to the large teaching hospital with the words that 'you've got to have a consultant and you might be high risk'. You soon found out that you weren't, and that you would never see the consultant but by then you had got sucked into the system. This was the same surgery who wouldn't refer to the small maternity wing of the hospital in the same grounds, and threw you off their list if you asked about home birth.

Other surgeries varied - one encouraged the use of the small hospital, another would refer you there if you asked. No internet with websites then to find out what was on offer. It was trial and error, you usually had a baby first and then found out that there were other options and that you did have choices.

The first surgery still claimed a fee, I believe, for giving maternity care, even though they were doing precious little for their fee, and much less than the one which used the small hospital - where the GP would attend each day if necessary.

What a fasccinating thread.

I had my babies in 1979 and 1981. One born in Sheffield and the other in Doncaster. 2 different Health Authorities but the practice was similar in both hospitals.

I had no family nearer than 150 miles but my sister was pregnant at the same time as me (4 months ahead) so we did 'consult' by (expensive) phone. I read 'Breast is Best' and Kitzinger and went to hospital ante-natal classes (yes, we had a series of them, unlike my DD who has just had her first baby and was only given one class at the hospital. Which has shocked me..) for the first but was involved in local NCT by the time I had the second.

First pregnancey was a bit of an accident so for various reasons I didn't find out until I was about 16 weeks. This meant that I did have a scan to establish due date (which was wrong...) but didn't have one at all with 2nd child. In fact, at that time the NCT was actively questioning the long term safety of scans.

We (pregnant mums) knew that we should not smoke and that alcohol should be taken in moderation. I was all right with the alcohol as I went right off it anyway. I'm not quite sure why you all appear to be so horrified about the 'Guinness', it was only a half pint a day and I don't think the alcohol content was all that high. Not that I ever had any; I wasn't advised to and was 'off' alcohol anyway.

Had a shave with first labour, hell when it was growing out. No enema, which I was thankful for! No stirrups though did go through whole labour on my back on the bed. Gas and air for pain relief; pethedine and epidurals were both in use then but I didn't need more than gas and air.

First baby was delivered on to my tummy, which was magical, though his blue colour was slightly startling. I was given him to hold skin to skin for a while, then he was taken, weighed, cleaned, wrapped up and given back to me. Was encouraged to try breastfeeding soon after birth. Second baby didn't breathe immediately so a bit of action required by the midwife, but I was given her as soon as she started breathing.

I went into hospital with the first dc all prepared to refuse to let him leave my side in case 'they' gave him an evil bottle. No need to fight at all as babies were routinely left with their mums. Even when he developed jaundice and had to 'go under the lights' they brought a portable incubator to my bedside.

Second dc should have been a home delivery. My GP said he'd rather do an appendectomy on the kitchen table than a home delivery so I changed to a GP who would do it. Sadly dd came early and duty midwife insisted I went to hospital. I had a perfectly fine labour (no shave even, this time) and got out of hospital within 24 hours.

The usual stay in hospital was 10 days for first and 6 for subsequent babies but the idea of 'domino' deliveries (discharge after 12 hours) for 2nd & subsequent babies was just coming into fashion.

Didn't get any help with breastfeeding but it was definitely NOT discouraged. Solids advised from 12 weeks, though . I set myself up for a long period of fussiness with ds by trying to pump alien flavours into him at a far too early age. With dd I left it until she was eyeing up the food on my plate (6 mnths) and she was never a fussy eater.

Husbands/partners were routinely expected to be present at the birth. It seems that S Yorks was pretty advanced for the times.

I was very encouraged by the help and support and excellent advice that my dd had when she recently gave birth, especially about breastfeeding. But I think that at least a couple of days in hospital after the birth would have given her a bit of a rest. Luckily she had lots of support at home (me!) after discharge but I wonder if early discharge might be a a bit daunting for first time mums with very little support at home.

We did all sorts of things in pregnancy and with our young babies which you modern mums find quite shocking. They did survive (well, most of them did) but I don't find it at all strange that you youngsters want to do the very best you can for your babies and I think sometimes we oldsters have to just keep quiet about 'in our day'!

Do you know, I 'proof read' twice and still missed 'fascinating' and 'pregnancy'

With my 1978 brother who was born so fast the MW wasn't expecting him - no complications at all, and my mum's third complications-free pregnancy and birth - she stayed in for 3 days. It felt like forever to me, who had never been apart from my mum so long, and was dying to meet my little brother! I can't remember how often my dad saw them but it was certainly out of the question that me or my sister would go to the hospital. I remember aching to see my mum and the thrill one day when I got back from school and she put her head over the bannister. Upstairs, in a nightie. It was called "lying in" and you did it even if nothing was wrong, apparently

maizieD that is such an encouraging post! And as you and other posters have said, an absolutely fascinating thread.

I was born in Australia in 74, but my mother had 5 before me so her status as an "old" mother at 33 wasn't really an issue. No pre or antenatal care at all, due to circumstances (the family moved around a lot). She went from long, complex and eventually forceps delivery with my eldest brother in 63 to a 2.5 hr labour from start to finish with no pain relief at all with me, and that I was born in such a rush that the cord ended up around my neck, I wasn't breathing so was in a humicrib for 24 hours. I was bottle fed from day 1 with any milk that came to hand, usually fresh cows milk as we were on farms (can't imagine trying to bfeed with 5 boys aged 11-3 running around to be honest!) and transported around the entire bloody country in my bouncy seat in the back seat of the car. How I survived I have no idea! ;)

My first baby was born in 1980, and my last in 2000 :-)

First baby: enema, shave, bath, pethidene injection (without asking me!), episiotomy (with no local), stitches which had to be re-done after 5 days because they were wonky. Eight days in maternity home, babies in nursery at night, 'lessons' in bathing baby, limited visiting, clothes and nappies all provided, hit and miss breast-feeding support. No car seats - baby in carrycot on back seat! Partner got no time off work.

Last baby: home birth, mobile, gas and air on demand. Two midwives who were lovely. Minor tear that healed quickly. And a supportive partner who helped deliver baby and then had three weeks paternity, which was wonderful.

My sister was fed on diluted condensed milk. She is 50 this year and has always hated milk. Mum would give her Nesquik in her (cow's) milk when she was a toddler to try and get her to drink it.

Mum was a 'geriatric mother' when she had her first child at 25.