This was posted on my LLL group's Facebook page - instructions given to new mothers at a Chicago hospital in 1956. LOL at the visiting/nursery hours for husbands and and at the following points:
- "Breast babies are taken to mothers 12 hours after birth to start nursing" - "Babies will be taken to be nursed at: 9:30 am, 12:30 pm, 5:30 pm, 9:15 pm, and 5:20 am" - "Never nurse more than 20 minutes to prevent sore nipples"
I don't get it...what the hell are they doing with that baby the rest of the time? B was nursing at least every 3-4 hours that first week. And lol at only 20 minutes...
I don't get it...what the hell are they doing with that baby the rest of the time? B was nursing at least every 3-4 hours that first week. And lol at only 20 minutes...
Babies would have been taken back to the nursery. Mom would have been in the hospital about a week. I have no idea how they coped with the total boredom.
Wow! Crazy. My hospital didn't even have a nursery for non-nicu babies.
I knew going in that I was supposed to care about 24/7 rooming in.
They almost apologized for asking me if it was OK for DS to spend night 1 in the nursery for a low temperature. Getting rid of him for a night was the best, and since he was the only baby born that day, the nurses had nothing else to do but fawn all over him.
Meanwhile, I asked for another dose of whatever pain medicine in my IV at 4am, and I was high as a kite during my 30 minute conversation with the pedi at 7am rounds.
I would have loved a 1950s birth with 2 weeks of post C/S recovery in the hospital, instead of dragging my sorry ass home 4 days later.
If I had a 2nd, I think I would ask them to take the baby night 1 again. I think being a STM would give me the freedom/confidence of not giving a crap if they thought I sucked.
I don't get it...what the hell are they doing with that baby the rest of the time? B was nursing at least every 3-4 hours that first week. And lol at only 20 minutes...
Babies would have been taken back to the nursery. Mom would have been in the hospital about a week. I have no idea how they coped with the total boredom.
No, I know...but...that long with no nursing? I can't even imagine the crying...
Babies would have been taken back to the nursery. Mom would have been in the hospital about a week. I have no idea how they coped with the total boredom.
No, I know...but...that long with no nursing? I can't even imagine the crying...
I wonder if they feed the formula if they started to cry.
Post by gibbinator on Mar 24, 2014 17:25:38 GMT -5
My grandmother used to tell me how strictly they were expected to keep babies on an eating schedule. She told me once when her first born was small he was crying and crying and so she called her mom (next door) to ask if she thought it would be ok if she just fed him 15 mins early just once. Craziness.
I don't get it...what the hell are they doing with that baby the rest of the time? B was nursing at least every 3-4 hours that first week. And lol at only 20 minutes...
Babies would have been taken back to the nursery. Mom would have been in the hospital about a week. I have no idea how they coped with the total boredom.
I think they had these things called "magazines" that contained "high quality articles" that were printed on "paper". But I have never seen such a thing.
Is 1956 long ago enough that home births were still fairly common?
Also, WTF with the ultra-restrictive visiting hours?
I think they had these things called "magazines" that contained "high quality articles" that were printed on "paper". But I have never seen such a thing.
Is 1956 long ago enough that home births were still fairly common?
Also, WTF with the ultra-restrictive visiting hours?
Even when my sister was born in 1983 they had pretty restrictive visiting hours.
sure, but what was the point? Because people thought that babies needed time alone in the nursery? To keep fussbudget relatives out of the hair of hospital staff and/or mom?
Post by delawarejen on Mar 24, 2014 17:35:33 GMT -5
My maternal grandmother was told in 1949 that she wasn't even allowed to breastfeed my mother because of her blood type (she's Rh-, my mom is Rh+). And she did the whole schedule thing too - her older sisters tried to talk sense into her and told her to feed her baby because she was crying from hunger, but no, she had a schedule to follow.
50's would have been the height of "doctor knows best" for most births in the USA, niq. The assault on midwives/homebirths came more in the 20s/30s and was pretty much complete by the 50s.
Wow! Crazy. My hospital didn't even have a nursery for non-nicu babies.
I knew going in that I was supposed to care about 24/7 rooming in.
They almost apologized for asking me if it was OK for DS to spend night 1 in the nursery for a low temperature. Getting rid of him for a night was the best, and since he was the only baby born that day, the nurses had nothing else to do but fawn all over him.
Meanwhile, I asked for another dose of whatever pain medicine in my IV at 4am, and I was high as a kite during my 30 minute conversation with the pedi at 7am rounds.
I would have loved a 1950s birth with 2 weeks of post C/S recovery in the hospital, instead of dragging my sorry ass home 4 days later.
If I had a 2nd, I think I would ask them to take the baby night 1 again. I think being a STM would give me the freedom/confidence of not giving a crap if they thought I sucked.
I used the nursery one night, I was exhausted and it was awesome. Although now I wonder if I was maybe a little overly enthusiastic when they offered to take him.
Home births dropped off in the 1930's - it was about half and half by the late 30's and almost none by the 50's. By the 1950's, you went to the hospital, they knocked you out with a combo of morphine and scopolamine ("twilight sleep"), and then you had a baby you didn't really remember delivering. The birth rate was so high that hospitals were overwhelmed. Forceps were commonly used. You didn't really want a C-Section either - the maternal mortality rate was 3-4% back then so they were more of a last-resort option.
I knew going in that I was supposed to care about 24/7 rooming in.
They almost apologized for asking me if it was OK for DS to spend night 1 in the nursery for a low temperature. Getting rid of him for a night was the best, and since he was the only baby born that day, the nurses had nothing else to do but fawn all over him.
Meanwhile, I asked for another dose of whatever pain medicine in my IV at 4am, and I was high as a kite during my 30 minute conversation with the pedi at 7am rounds.
I would have loved a 1950s birth with 2 weeks of post C/S recovery in the hospital, instead of dragging my sorry ass home 4 days later.
If I had a 2nd, I think I would ask them to take the baby night 1 again. I think being a STM would give me the freedom/confidence of not giving a crap if they thought I sucked.
My nephew did all of his meconium poops in the nursery. Jealous!!! DS pooped 7 times in his first 24 hours.
I didn't clean up any meconium either. That plus my hips not expanding are literally the only 2 c/s benefits.
Wow! Crazy. My hospital didn't even have a nursery for non-nicu babies.
I knew going in that I was supposed to care about 24/7 rooming in.
They almost apologized for asking me if it was OK for DS to spend night 1 in the nursery for a low temperature. Getting rid of him for a night was the best, and since he was the only baby born that day, the nurses had nothing else to do but fawn all over him.
Meanwhile, I asked for another dose of whatever pain medicine in my IV at 4am, and I was high as a kite during my 30 minute conversation with the pedi at 7am rounds.
I would have loved a 1950s birth with 2 weeks of post C/S recovery in the hospital, instead of dragging my sorry ass home 4 days later.
If I had a 2nd, I think I would ask them to take the baby night 1 again. I think being a STM would give me the freedom/confidence of not giving a crap if they thought I sucked.
Yeah, H and I felt bad sending DS to the nursery. With DD, I knew to take advantage, lol.
Post by scribellesam on Mar 24, 2014 18:27:25 GMT -5
There was no nursery option at my hospital either. At the time, I don't think I could have handled having DS out of my sight but I really needed some sleep too!
I feel sad for all those crying babies although I guess most of our parents turned out okay in the end.
Post by londoncalling on Mar 24, 2014 18:43:55 GMT -5
My grandma told me that she was put on a post partum diet of clear broth and jello for the week she was in the hospital and that she never made any milk for my mom or aunt. No wonder! She also told me that the nurses really stressed wrapping/binding your stomach to help regain your figure before being discharged.
Same grandma was amazed at how often a breastfed baby eats and that I would nurse in public without sterilizing my nipples first (yuck!).
We sent DD to the nursery at least some of the night for 3 out of the 4 nights we stayed. It was awesome.
Same here...we were there two night after AJ was born and he spent both nights (minus when it was time to nurse and do skin to skin) in the nursery. I felt very little to no guilt over it-I was so mentally and physically exhausted from a long labor and the whirlwind after that I knew I needed the the time to decompress, even if I didn't sleep much. It helped a ton!
Wow! Crazy. My hospital didn't even have a nursery for non-nicu babies.
I knew going in that I was supposed to care about 24/7 rooming in.
They almost apologized for asking me if it was OK for DS to spend night 1 in the nursery for a low temperature. Getting rid of him for a night was the best, and since he was the only baby born that day, the nurses had nothing else to do but fawn all over him.
Meanwhile, I asked for another dose of whatever pain medicine in my IV at 4am, and I was high as a kite during my 30 minute conversation with the pedi at 7am rounds.
I would have loved a 1950s birth with 2 weeks of post C/S recovery in the hospital, instead of dragging my sorry ass home 4 days later.
If I had a 2nd, I think I would ask them to take the baby night 1 again. I think being a STM would give me the freedom/confidence of not giving a crap if they thought I sucked.
DS spent all 3 nights in the nursery. Our nurse night #2 and 3 (same nurse) encouraged us to send him to the nursery. So glad I did! Recovering from a c/s and suddenly caring for a newborn is no joke.
Post by karinothing on Mar 24, 2014 19:34:53 GMT -5
Can I ask a dumb question. If you send the baby to the nursery and you are breastfeeding how does that = more sleep? Don't you still have to feed every two hours? Obviously since I was discharged after 4 hours there was no opportunity for the nursery. I slept whenever he wasn't feeding.