# Were you born by twilight sleep?



## Jyotsna (Sep 24, 2004)

Hi everyone,

My brother and I were born by twilight sleep. Not sure about my sister. Before I knew about twilight sleep, there was a distinct absence about my birth story, and I always found it odd that others parents talked about the birth of their children, but my parents didn't.

After watching the Ricki Lake "Birth" tonight, I wondered if my mother was one of those women who was mistreated or physically abused while givingn birth to me, or even straped to the table and left for hours. I know it seems strange that I would have no memory about my birth, since I was an infant, but I think I lacked any connection to my birth at all.

As an adult, the question I beg an answer for is:

How did this affect me as a newborn, and does it still continue to affect me today?


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## atjmom (Apr 13, 2008)

I know I was born with my mother under twilight. She told me she didn't "wake up" for three days after I was born. I was her first and she was only 18 at the time.


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## MyBoysBlue (Apr 27, 2007)

I was born that way too my Mom foggily remembers the doctor coming in and asking the nurses. "Is she out? I don't want her moving." She was also 18 and I was her first. Her Doc was an old Doc back in 1977 when I was born, I don't think it was really common practice then but it was an old hospital and all the docs there were old and ready to retire. I think they were behind the times. For my sister born 4 years later my Mom didn't go to the hospital until she was ready to push as she didn't want to be drugged up, She ended up having my two sisters and my brother all naturally. My brother was a quick 20 min birth with only the nurses. I don't know if it was because of my birth or the fact that I wasn't breastfed but I was horribly sick and in and out of the hospital until I was 2. Mostly Fevers and bad colds.


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## kittywitty (Jul 5, 2005)

I was born au naturel.


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## paintedbison (Dec 10, 2007)

I was born with an epidural in 1980.


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## kapatasana (Apr 5, 2008)

I was a C-section, my younger sister was a vaginal birth but I know my mom had an epidural. I bet my mother and aunt and uncles were all born by twilight sleep though. My grandma (who has given me lots and lots of good advice too, I swear) always told me regarding child birth to "scream until they knock you out". I always wondered what she meant by that, I didn't think you could physically give birth and be "knocked out". I guess I should of just asked. I've heard about twilight sleep in regards to abortion, but not child birth.


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## felix23 (Nov 7, 2006)

My mom had 7 unmedicated hospital birth with the eighth she decided to go with the epidural.


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## Mama Poot (Jun 12, 2006)

I was born in a hospital in 1985, my mom only had a small dose of demerol or other similar narcotic. No epidural.


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## bvnms (Apr 29, 2008)

I was born in 1972 and I know it wasn't by twilight sleep. She had some kind of drugs but she said she didn't think epidurals were available then or at least she had never heard of them, then or in 1974 when she had my sister. When she had my brothers, one in 1986 and one in 1989, she got the epidural as soon as they would let her. We were talking about it one day and she told me I was nuts because I've never had one. Everytime I'm having a baby, she tells me that I'll change my mind and get one. I told her that nobody is sticking some long needle into my back.


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## DreamsInDigital (Sep 18, 2003)

My mom had an unmedicated birth with me. I was her only drug-free birth. Both of my older siblings she had IV drugs.


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## SublimeBirthGirl (Sep 9, 2005)

I was "lucky." All I got was Stadol, epidural drugs, and being dragged out by forceps. Though I was born in '75 and I don't think there was a lot of the twilight sleep at that point?


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## BirthIsAwesome (Nov 14, 2007)

Sorry, I have no clue. My mom birthed me completely natural in a hospital and went on to have one more natural hospital birth and four homebirths.


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## Thalia the Muse (Jun 22, 2006)

I was born in 1966 -- I don't know whether it was twilight sleep, but my mom had some kind of general that knocked her more or less completely out for the birth. It sounds horrible to me, but I must say it didn't stop her from bonding with and loving us, and in my case she even nursed for a few weeks (which was sort of rare at the time).

As far as the "how did it affect you?" question -- I'm guessing it really didn't. My brother and I are both "pretty jolly clever," we were healthy babies and are healthy adults, and our mom (and dad) loved us. I'm sure there's a percentage of babies who were adversely affected by that kind of anesthesia -- too groggy to eat or such -- but we weren't in that percentage.


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## liberal_chick (May 22, 2005)

My mother and her 3 siblings were all born by twillight sleep. My grandmother had her 4 kids between 1958 and 1967. She maintains it is the best way to give birth.


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## birthdancedoula (Nov 13, 2002)

I was my mom's natural birth claim-to-fame. Not sure what she had with my older sis- probably a block of some sort- but with my bro she had the scopolomine cocktail. The details of his birth story are scattered at best.


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## lovesdaffodils (Jul 11, 2007)

I'm not sure how I was born (adopted), but some of my aunts had twilight sleep births in the 50s and 60s. One aunt in particular was in awe of my natural birth and a little sad because she didn't remember her sons being born at all.


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## ColoradoMama (Nov 22, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lovesdaffodils* 
One aunt in particular was in awe of my natural birth and a little sad because she didn't remember her sons being born at all.

That is really sad.









No, I was not born with "twilight sleep." I was born in 1972; my mom remembers my birth well!


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## Llyra (Jan 16, 2005)

My mother had demerol, and then a spinal, with me. I was sluggish and jaundiced; mom says I slept for three days afterwards just about constantly, and she was told by nurses that it was normal for a newborn to be groggy and non-responsive.


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## DisplacedYooper (Aug 10, 2007)

I was a drug-free hospital baby, but I'm pretty sure my mom was born under twilight sleep... the only memory my grandmother has of my mom's birth is "hearing carolers outside the hospital"







(my mom was born on Christmas Eve)


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## Lizafava (Nov 28, 2004)

My mother's brother was born by twilight sleep in the early 60's. I have the little brochure they gave my grandmother when she woke up - "congratulations, you had a healthy boy at 5:56, you'll get to see him soon!" etc. Very creepy. She doesn't remember anything. She still somehow managed to breastfeed all her kids for several months. Who knows if it had an effect on him.


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## sunnymw (Feb 28, 2007)

I was born with a shot of narcotic but no epi.

My GMIL, whom we lived with for several months, had 2 out of 3 of her children with TS. She said that with one of them (the second one) she woke up to nurses screaming and pushing on her stomach and then passed back out. She tore with him, the scar is well down onto her LEG. He was 10lbs and some change born at 43-44 weeks. She says she would prefer getting knocked out again to a regular birth in the hospital, which she had with her 3rd.

I can't honestly compare her 3 kids even though I know them pretty well... they all have health issues, although they were all FF'd as well from the get-go.

Sorry I'm not much help!


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## texaspeach (Jun 19, 2005)

I was not, I was born in '82 by scheduled c-section and my mother had a spinal but was awake for it.

my brothers on the other hand, born in the late 60's (1966, 1968), I'm pretty sure were born while our mother was under twilight sleep. I know that one brother was a high forceps delivery.. not sure about the other one. She doesn't really like to talk about it much, so I don't know exactly what happened, hell, she probably doesn't even know exactly what happened


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## not now (Mar 12, 2007)

I was born in 1980 and my mom had nitrous. She clung to that mask and was so relaxed that she wouldn't push so the doc had the nurse take the mask away from her.

My mom is very withdrawn/reserved by nature so I doubt that our relationship would have been any different if she didn't use meds.

My grandmother had all her children naturally in Mexico.


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## Kidzaplenty (Jun 17, 2006)

I don't know how "natural" it was when I was born, but I think it was pretty plain with maybe a bit of pain relief. I know my mom was only there a short time and had her doc discharge her three hours after. So not to many drugs could have been in her system or she would have never left that soon.


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## coobabysmom (Nov 16, 2005)

I was born in the late 60's in a small town hospital and from what my mom remembers, she was completely knocked out and woke up sometime later after the birth worried that they had killed her baby (me). yikes! All she knows is what she was told later. She was knocked out, had an episiotomy, forcepts. She was given a shot to "dry up her milk". It could possibly have been twilight sleep...

When I pg, I grilled her about her births & she is very detached from them. She talks about going into the hospitals on her due dates and then the doctors taking care of the rest... For some reason this is okay with her.

I don't think our bonding was affected. She is a very loving & affectionate person and just loves babies.


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## Mama Khi (Sep 2, 2007)

I wasn't born with my mom in a Twilight Sleep, but my mom was. The only thing I know about my mom's birth is that my grandma told me she went to sleep and when she woke up she had a baby. She thought that was the best way to have a baby because she didn't feel much pain. I don't know about tearing or anything like that. My mom was born in 1948. As for their bonding, they seem to get along just fine. I know my grandma was sort of strict with my mom when she was growing up and I think my mom has a bit of resentment toward that, but I don't think that has anything to do with her birth.

On the other hand, my sister and I were both born naturally in a hospital, me in 1977 and my sister in 1981. My mom told me that the doctor wanted to use forceps to pull me out, but she said, "Only if you can promise me that it won't mis-shape the baby's head at all or leave any marks." Of course, he couldn't make that promise so I just came out on my own. Thanks, Mom!







(It helped that my mom is a nurse and had been present at many deliveries, so she knew that there could be a problem with forceps.)

For my sister's birth, my mom told me that the doctor put some type of numbing cream on her cervix. She said that it kept her from feeling as much pressure as at my birth and was very helpful. I have never heard anyone else mention this cream. Has anyone here heard of it?


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## JesseMomme (Apr 6, 2002)

I can't recall if my mom said she's gotten a shot of narcotic with me or my siblings, but I know she had 4 of us all vaginally (1979 and beyond), and she was proud that she did so. I was the biggest at over 9 lbs to boot! My father remembers that it was still a new thing for dads to be in the delivery room at the time. Lamaze was in vogue at the time and I think she did that, as well as helped "coach" a few of her friends in that way when they had their births.

I'm pretty certain that my grandmothers had twilight sleep births. I'd have to ask...it's weird that during all the birth conversations that came up with my grandmothers around they didn't have much in the way of details or anything general to offer about their own experiences, which I think could be telling.


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## Aufilia (Jul 31, 2007)

No, I wasn't. My parents took a Lamaze class and I was an unmedicated vaginal hospital birth in 1976. My mother wrote her birth story afterward, as the Lamaze instructor had apparently requested the students do so, and she gave me a copy after I had DD (it's not as detailed as what you see on the forums, though!). I wouldn't have appreciated it much before being pregnant but I do love having a copy of it now!


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## danotoyou2 (Jan 19, 2007)

My mother had her oldest with twilight sleep. She was 16 and they used forceps. She always had trouble bonding with her oldest, and she blames it largely on the birth.

She then had 3 other natural births.


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## thefragile7393 (Jun 21, 2005)

No thankfully I was not....born without drugs in `79 in a hospital. My mom did Lamaze and that was enough for her....thankfully I think that hospital phased out the twilight sleep in the 60's. My mom was a homebirth in the 30's....small town and couldn't afford a hospital.

From reading some of these stories it seems that a lot of young moms (16-18) had the worst treatment....seems to go in with the stuff I've read of young mothers being punished and being treated horribly because they were young, possibly unmarried, and giving birth.


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## thefragile7393 (Jun 21, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *bvnms* 
Everytime I'm having a baby, she tells me that I'll change my mind and get one. I told her that nobody is sticking some long needle into my back.

I see you have a number of kids...you think she'd learn you're not changing your mind by now!


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## fresh_water (Feb 29, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Aufilia* 
No, I wasn't. My parents took a Lamaze class and I was an unmedicated vaginal hospital birth in 1976. My mother wrote her birth story afterward, as the Lamaze instructor had apparently requested the students do so, and she gave me a copy after I had DD (it's not as detailed as what you see on the forums, though!). I wouldn't have appreciated it much before being pregnant but I do love having a copy of it now!

I think that's really sweet. My mom told me some of it but she gets them confused after 8 kids lol.


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## runes (Aug 5, 2004)

both my sister and i were born naturally. no meds, in the hospital. i was born in another country and my mom said that the doctor acted more like a midwife. my sister was born here in the us 2 years later and my mother said that she had to scream at the anesthesiologist to leave her alone. apparently, he was coming into her room every few minutes and offering her drugs. what a jerk!!

both dh and his sister were born under twilight sleep, with forceps. poor mil has dealt with pelvic organ prolapse issues possibly because of this, too.


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## latinmom (Nov 20, 2001)

Yes, I was, back in 1961 (yikes!). Mom doesn't rmember my birth or my sisters (she was by scopolomine too-I think that's what the stuff was called). She woke up with bruises on her arms where they held her down.

Oddly enough, we never have been close-and she can't figure out why I wanted natural births!


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## Shelsi (Apr 4, 2005)

My grandmother was definitely awake when she had my uncle. She was very over due (about 44-45 weeks according to her). She was a tiny woman and my uncle was getting so big (born at almost 12 lbs) I guess he was starting to affect some of her organs. Anyways in the hospital he started crowning but the doc wasn't there so they kept pushing him back in for over 30 mins waiting for the doc to arrive







: He was born blue and not breathing. They did get him breathing but he suffered some pretty severe brain damage from the birth. He lives in a group home now and has been blind since his late 20's (a remnant from the birth), hears voices, can't take care of himself, etc. My grandparents took care of him themselves until they no longer could and he was into his 40's.

My mom had, I think, an unmedicated birth with my brother in 1975. The way she tells it she didn't have any option of pain meds?? My brother was her first and he was almost 11 lbs. She had a giant episiotomy and always talks about how horrible it was to push him out. She always tells me he should have been a c-section and refuses to listen to me when I tell her she shouldn't have been on her back. But doctors are God to my mom.

I was a for sure unmedicated almost car birth in 1980. They got to the hospital and they rushed my mom upstairs while my dad filled out paperwork and in about 15 mins I was born. The doc always told my mom that if I'd been 1/2 lb lighter that I prob would have been born in the car. She asked the doc not to tell my dad because she knew that would freak him out and she still hasn't told him! LMAO


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## selena_ski (Jun 16, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *coobabysmom* 
She was knocked out, had an epi, forcepts. She was given a shot to "dry up her milk".

^how sad is that? could you imagine if someone did that to you.

I know neither my mom or maternal grandmother had a twilight birth, i am unsure if either used pain medication. I doubt my grandmother did, because in her telling of her births it was like, i am working and the go to hospital and had my babies within 20-45 minutes. but it would be interesting for more detail. My mom seems more of the type who would get the epi and in the 80s it was common. she never said either way.


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## Full Heart (Apr 27, 2004)

My mil says she had twilight sleep. She has no recollection of either birth under it. I know she had epis with all her kids. The 3rd was only like 25 years ago so she didn't have twilight then (huge gap between my dh and the youngest). So my fil was there for it and it was life altering for him. He comes over after my births and immediatly wants to watch the video. I think if I let him he would be here for the birth lol.

My mother had a shot of something in her hip that was like an epidural, she couldn't walk. But didn't take any of the pain away. My mom also had the shot to dry up her milk. She really wished she could bfed me. That birth made her change alot. She never let anyone bully her around after that.


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## hipmummy (May 25, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *SublimeBirthGirl* 
I was "lucky." All I got was Stadol, epidural drugs, and being dragged out by forceps. Though I was born in '75 and I don't think there was a lot of the twilight sleep at that point?

Same thing year and all.


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## AlexisT (May 6, 2007)

Natural, 1977. Mom went on to have 2 more natural births.

Grandma had it though i think, that was around 1950 in NYC.


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## WaitingForKiddos (Nov 30, 2006)

I was born in '78. Mom had an emergency c-section due to eclampsia and was unconscious for 3 days post birth. I've been told that I was alone in the nursery for that time, getting fed sugar water only (which I have a hard time believing).

I'm with you. I wonder what the birth and lack of immediate bonding did. I know it made my mom very sensitive to the idea of bonding. She can't watch The Business of Being Born because, for her, she feels like it says 'no immediate bonding = no love' Despite our start, my mom and I had a fantastic nursing relationship until I was about 3.5 yrs. So...


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## AllieFaye (Mar 7, 2007)

I was born with twilight sleep, forceps, deep episiotomy, augmentation and the shot to dry up milk before my mother woke up. When she expressed dismay that she had wanted to breastfeed, the nurse told her, "That's dirty." Sadly, my mother was in painless labor, and didn't feel the need for any of it. But, she believes that when you have a baby, you just go to the hospital and get whatever they give you.









To this day, I have an abnormal reaction to anesthetic. I'm not allergic, but I get an overwhelming feeling of "make it stop." It feels like I'm being poisoned, and my personality is altered for days afterward. I become beligerent and uncooperative. Maybe I would have had that reaction no matter what, but I wouldn't be surprised if my early exposure didn't contribute to my body's poor response to the drugs.


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## blessedwithboys (Dec 8, 2004)

my parents were 28 and 30 and married 6 yrs when i was born

early 1977: me...scope, so def. TS for my mom. big huge epi and forceps for me. mom had taken lamaze, but my dad was in night school and didnt go, so he was not "allowed" to be present. she tried to nurse me a few times but the nurse told her her nips werent right for it, so she took the dry up shot

mid 1979: my sis, both parents had been to lamaze for this pg, but my dad still wasnt sure they would let him be there. my mom had tons of demerol but was able to be awake and push. not sure about forceps, but another epi for sure. when they brough my sis to her hrs later the nurse asked if she was gonna nurse. my mom informed her her nipples were shaped wrong and asked for the dry up shot.

mid 1986: my baby sis...my mother was somewhere around 43-44 wks. woke up at 1:50am to pee. sat on toilet, felt what she tought was a bm, realized it was coming from somewhere else and had hair. went to lay on the kitchen floor, hollered up the stairs for her mil to come help her, and out came my sis at 2:10am!

absolutely no attempt to nurse whatsoever.









we all have issues for sure, but i dont think they stem from our births.


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## gwerydd (Jun 7, 2007)

my sister was born at 33 weeks by c-section under a general due to severe pre-e. my brother and i were both cesection babies but mum had a spinal. my mother was born at home in the Netherlands.


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## JessicaS (Nov 18, 2001)

No,

My mom had an epi, I was 9 lbs, frank breech the Dr flipped me around at the last minute.

She still complains about my birth as being her most difficult.

Sorry mom.









I still have no sense of direction







:


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## PudnHead (Aug 25, 2005)

I was. My mom had all three of her kids that way. She always said it was like the stork brought them (meaning she had no connection to the birth). She told me that she went through labor but when it was time to push, they would knock her out and deliver the baby for her. When she would woke up her baby was here.

She is still sore about my youngest brother. He came very quickly and was almost born in the elevator. They still knocked her out and delivered him by twilight sleep.







She felt she was that far along she should have been able to finish it.

It didn't affect our relationship. We are a close family. As far as BFing, she did BF my oldest brother in the hospital. I think she said for a week? However, once she got home he would not eat (she said he rejected her but that is another story). Her MIL tried to help (her mom FF) but it didn't work. She never tried to BF me or my younger brother.







I have a lot of allergies and was allergic to milk.


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## Thalia the Muse (Jun 22, 2006)

abi, LOL!


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## Magali (Jun 8, 2007)

Me and my 2 sisters were all born naturally. Both of my grandmothers I think had kids by twilght sleep. Grama T tells about how the nurses strapped her down while she was in labor, screaming for them to leave her alone. Grama M tells about how they knocked her out during the labor and she has no recollection of anything. After watching the B of BB, I realize how horrific it really was.


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## elanorh (Feb 1, 2006)

My mother had natural vaginal births, no pain meds and no inductions with all seven of us. Dad was the first husband to be at a birth at the hospital mom birthed at. She was also the first mother to ever request (and get) "rooming-in."

I don't know if dh's mother had natural/pain med-free births or not, but I do know that his Dad was at their births. His paternal grandmother had twilight sleep births (2) in the 40's; and his maternal grandmother had an alert hospital birth with #1 (early 50's) and twilight sleep with her second (early 60's) - the doctor told her she was "too old" to birth without the twilight sleep (she was 40).

My paternal grandmother had twilight sleep with her three (all born in the 40's). She would get teary eyed telling how wonderful it was to wake up and have the nurses bring my dad in, her "beautiful blue-eyed baby boy."

My maternal grandmother - was an incredible woman. I knew all my life, that she'd checked out of the hospital early (within a day or two of birth) so she could go home and nurse (her babes were born in the 50's, five of them). I asked Mom after finding out how widespead twilight sleep was, whether Grandma had done that because I couldn't imagine my strong, independent grandmother putting up with it. Mom said:

#1 and #2 were both born *with Grandpa present*, no twilight sleep - the doctor was a friend of theirs.

#3 was born with the nurses, because Grandma got to the hospital before the doctor.

#4 was 6 weeks premature, so the doctors wouldn't have tried twilight sleep for fear of killing the baby. She's the only babe Grandma didn't nurse, they wouldn't let her because my aunt was a preemie and 'had to have' formula to survive.









#5 was born shortly after arrival at the hospital, no twilight sleep, in the late 50's.

.... Basically my Grandma labored quickly (a trend in my family







) and waited 'til the last minute so she didn't get monkeyed around with. And it surely helped that they were friends with the doctor the first two births they had, so that they were fortunate enough to have Grandpa at the birth with them. And Grandma, from that, knew what to watch for with later births I think too.


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## Limabean1975 (Jan 4, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *felix23* 
My mom had 7 unmedicated hospital birth with the eighth she decided to go with the epidural.

Wow, that's interesting!


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## Fyrestorm (Feb 14, 2006)

Both DH and I were twilight babies...MIL says she didn't even see him for about 48 hours and has no memory of him being born.

I was adopted...so I think they did it as much for that reason as any other...she never knew I was actually born and she never saw me..in their twisted logic that equals no attachment.

We were both born in the 60's and I think that it was SOP at the time.


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## BugMacGee (Aug 18, 2006)

My mom had a paracervical with me (1973)


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## elmh23 (Jul 1, 2004)

I was born after 49hrs and 53min of intense pit-induced labor. Water broke, after 6hrs they hooked mom up to pit. No epidural. All of this in 1983. If she were to have the same labor today, she'd have a c-section! As was, if she reached 50hrs they were going to do a c-section.


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## eurobin (Aug 20, 2006)

No, I was not. I am my mother's elder child, and I was her more difficult labor. She was in labor with me for 4 hours or so (at the hospital) and I would have been born in the caul had they not broken my waters. My mom's labor with me wasn't easy (at 10+ cm, she asked for drugs), but she did it.

My little bro was also almost born in the caul. She arrived at the hospital at 7:20 am and delivered him at 7:40 am. She says that they told her she was having back labor but she felt like she was just having mild cramping that was 10x less bad than a period.

HOWEVER , my mom was there at my DD's birth. She'd always been a bit JudgyMcJudgerson re: medicated births. But after she saw my water break to start things (when the pain started for her!) and witnessed her daughter (me) deal with several hours of awful ctx while I was begging "mommy, mommy, mommy, please help me" (and I've never called my mom "mommy!") she changed her tune.

Honestly, her being there and her saying, "I would have given in before you did," made the biggest difference to me. I went in knowing birth can (should?) happen unmedicated but more than anything else, I'm just glad my own mommy approved of my (DD's) birth.


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## LaffNowCryLater (May 2, 2003)

I was born in '84 and it was an all-natural birth. My mom intended on getting a spinal block but I came out 20 minutes after she arrived at the hospital. My brother born in '80 was born with a spinal block.

I believe my grandmother (she is 84 yrs old) had all 6 children under twilight. This would be in the '40s to the '60s.


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## LaffNowCryLater (May 2, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *eurobin* 
and witnessed her daughter (me) deal with several hours of awful ctx while I was begging "mommy, mommy, mommy, please help me" (and I've never called my mom "mommy!") she changed her tune.



OMG I was saying "mommy" too with #2, and I let one slip out this last time and my mom wasn't even there.


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## Belle (Feb 6, 2005)

No, my mom was strapped to a bed with pitocin induced labor for 36 hours with no pain meds. When it came time to push they gave her a cervical block (I think) and I was pulled out with forceps. I have a small scar on my face from the forceps. I got wisked away right away.

My maternal grandmother had two twilight sleep births and two generals for c/s. After my second uncle was born the nurse brought him to see my grandmother and she said "He's not mine, he doesn't look anything like his brother" The nurse said "He has to be yours. he's the only one who was born today" Grandma: "Oh, I guess I'll take him then" I think that it may have affected how she bonded with her children. All her kids hate her. Is that terrible of me to say that?

My paternal grandma had really fast labors. I'm amazed all six were born in the hospital. Her first labor was two hours long and I think that was the only one they used twilight sleep for. All the others were faster than that. My dad was second born and was born in 1 hour45min. Some of his siblings were born on the stretcher in the hall way.


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## felix23 (Nov 7, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Limabean1975* 
Wow, that's interesting!


She said she was in her 40's and having the perfect natural birth wasn't that big of a deal to her anymore. She also says it was her easiest and best birth of all.







:


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## mntnmom (Sep 21, 2006)

i think our society has been disconnected from birth for a while. I really don't think the birth experience has a long lasting effect on the baby. But it does effect the parents, and the bonding process, and I think that can be harmful in ways we can barely understand.Twilight sleep was a symptom and a cause.
My mom is very proud of the fact that my brother and I were born naturally. But my MIL had all 3 by twilight sleep and wonders if she missed something, but is glad she didn't have to go through the pain. Her youngest was born in '76.


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## lifeguard (May 12, 2008)

Twilight sleep makes me feel so incredibly terrible. What a tragic thing to have happened to SOOO many women. It's a not wonder how we got to be so far gone from a natural birth process.

As for those that are ok with it being their birth experience - you can only let it tear you up for so long. At some point you have to make peace with it.


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## Rainbow2911 (Dec 16, 2004)

My mum had me in 1979. I was born frank breech, in under an hour (just inside the hospital). It was a totally unmedicated birth with forceps (ouch







). She had my brother in 1983 with a little gas and air using yoga breathing to control the pain. She was in labour around 6 hours with him but he was 3 lbs heavier.








My mil has the worst hospital horror story that I know (irl). She went into hospital at 39 weeks. All the mothers were put into bed and in the morning the doctor went around the ward and chose (randomly) who was going to give birth that day.





















And this was in 1978. Yikes.







: I don't know what drugs she had (I'm guessing lots) as at that point she moved onto a waaaay tmi discussion of her pelvic floor.







:








Twlight sleep seems to sad to me. I wouldn't have wanted to miss the moment my little ones came into the world for anything (tho if you had asked me during transition with ds2 you might have got a different answer!







).


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## ecoteat (Mar 3, 2006)

I was born in 1976 and my mom doesn't remember it at all. I don't know if it was twilight sleep exactly, but she was pretty much knocked out. I guess she tore pretty badly too. She was 18 and I think she feels like the dr. didn't care very well for her. I think she was drugged and unaware for my sister's birth too--in 1982.

It made me sad to talk to her about her birth experiences while I was pregnant--and even more so after dd was born. Giving birth was such an amazing experience and it's too bad my mom didn't get to have that. When my sister had her son 7 years ago (naturally) and was talking to mom about breastfeeding, my sister was giving mom a hard time for not bfing us. Mom said something like "it just never occured to me to breastfeed." It's amazing to me how normal it has become to be so unnatural.


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## notaperfectmom (Apr 25, 2008)

My mom had all 3 of us vaginally, in hospital no pain drugs but we were all induced with pitocin. She remembers everything, but I think the pitocin certainly made the experiences much more unpleasant than they needed to be.

The one thing I do know about my birth (in 1975) is that I was born in a teaching hospital so there were like 20 people hanging around watching and the head doctor says "there are too many people in here....YOU need to leave" TO MY DAD!! My dad did get to be there for the birth of my brother and sister but he missed mine









However, the great thing was that my mom was feeding me after I was born and she was in "recovery" and the nurses forgot about me. Even though we were in a hospital, I got to spend my whole first night cuddled up next to my mom. It was her favorite thing about my birth


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## applejuice (Oct 8, 2002)

Twilight Sleep, amnesiacs, and sodium pentathol were used up to about 1970 in most locations. Regional anesthesias became popular after that. Even acupuncture for c/secs.

Ever wonder why there was such a prevalent drug culture among the young people in the 1960s? They were all born high. This was the first generation born almost entirely in the hospital and their mothers were knocked out cold because that was "better".

I was born at home UC, premature, in 1954. People asked my parents if they were too poor to pay for the hospital, because that was the ONLY reason a woman would not go to the hospital in them days...

My own four were born at home, 1980-92...my contemporaries all had their babes by c/secs in the hospital.


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## 4 in 2005 (May 22, 2004)

I was born in 75 and I was a Natural birth much to mom's dismay. She was wanting her spinal. The nurses told her she wasn't in labor and sent her home. She returned when her water broke. The dr would not leave lunch to get her the spinal said she would have to wait till he finished his lunch. Well I was born in the hallway of the hospital caught by a nurse and a medic while the Dr was still at lunch.

What can I say I was never a patient person. LOL! I didn't wait till I was full term (born sometime between 34-36 weeks depending on who you ask) I didn't wait for a Dr, and I didn't wait for a delivery room.

MY DH was also a Natural birth again to his mom's dismay. The DR refused to give her pain medication because she refused to let him adopt DH. He was trying to use pain to bully this young single mom. Shameful that women were treated this way. She had a 24 hour labor with a 9lb 12 oz baby that was born by forcep delivery with MINIMAL pain medication because he wanted to adopt DH and she already decided that she wanted him adopted through the church.


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## Tuwamare (May 31, 2006)

My mom was knocked out for my birth in 1963... she doesn't remember anything about it. She doesn't remember much about my sister's birth in 1967 either, but she had some memories of my brother's birth in 1972. She actually nursed him for a while. I feel sad that I don't have any stories of my birth... especially since birth is such an important part of my life.

My paternal grandmother gave birth in the hospital in 1939... she birthed naturally. But in those days she was expected to stay in the hospital for 10 days afterward. The baby was kept in the nursery, except for a few brief feeding times, when she would be "allowed" to be with him. Her experience made me incredibly sad. My grandmother loved babies, and my dad was her only one.


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## tex.mom (Jun 30, 2006)

I was born in '77, have quizzed my mom about my birth (her only), and have gotten zero details. It's like she can't remember or just didn't know exactly what was going on. I've asked her if she got an epidural and she doesn't know, but doesn't think she felt any real pain. She has distinct memories of what she ate after and everyone who came to see her, but like, nothing about the birth itself. Maybe it was twilight...?


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## Mama_Leah (Aug 1, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Jyotsna* 
Hi everyone,

I know it seems strange that I would have no memory about my birth, since I was an infant, but I think I lacked any connection to my birth at all.


I'm not really sure what you mean by this. I don't remember my birth either. One of my earliest memories is from when I was about 3.

I was born in 1980, my mom was induced and I think she had a spinal or maybe just Demerol.


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## mauimama5 (Apr 12, 2005)

I was born in 1975 by emergency c-cestion. My mom was knocked out. She didn't even see me for a couple days and barely remembers that. Then she contracted hepatitis while in the hospital. I was in the nicu in an incubator for 6 weeks. My mom saw me 1x.

I often wonder how that has affected who I am not bonding with my parents as a newborn and being so sick.


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## mynetname (Mar 17, 2008)

What exactly is "Twilight Sleep"? Was it a certain drug? They were asleep for _days_???
The name itself gave me the shivers actually







:


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## kerilynn (Sep 9, 2005)

My sister was born in 1980
c-section after labor started under general anesthesia
she was breech and over 10 lbs, but never descended.

I was born vaginally with an epidural in 1982. My mom said she chose an epi this time in case of uterine rupture and they wanted to section her, that she would be able to be awake this time ...


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