# Birth in the 60's - unconscious



## AllisonR (May 5, 2006)

I'd like some perspective here. Anyone talk to their mamma about their birth experience? My mom gave birth to my brother in 1964, and her comment was "they put me under. 7 hours later they woke me up and said "here is your baby, Mrs. X."
I can not even begin to imagine how disconnected from birth that must be. I asked her how she felt about this, and her only coment was a flat "Well, that's what they did then." Does she really not care? Or is she so disconnected from her feelings that she doesn't even know this is wrong? Anyone else's mama been through this type of 1960's birth? How was their reaction?

Allison


----------



## glendora (Jan 24, 2005)

That's pretty much how my grandmother describes her births. She had 3 kids in the last half of the 50's. She was so unaware of herself (and overweight), that when she had my aunt in 1968, and didn't even realize she was pregnant until she went into labor. Can you imagine?


----------



## SagMom (Jan 15, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *AllisonR*
... "they put me under. 7 hours later they woke me up and said "here is your baby, Mrs. X."
... "Well, that's what they did then."

This was exactly the conversation I had with my mother about my birth. By the time my youngest brother was born, in '68, she said she insisted on being awake for the birth. (A radical idea for that time and place.) I know she had some sort of spinal, and that there was no coaching to push ("they took the baby" is how I'm told it happened so I'm thinking forceps?) She ended up seeing the baby, but then he was wisked off for a few hours before she actually got to meet him.









When my oldest was born, she was shocked over and over again--that I was holding the baby even before the cord was cut, that SHE got to hold the baby when he was minutes old, that his eyes were open, that he held his own head up and looked around...it was like she'd never had a baby of her own. I don't think it was that she didn't care about her own births, I think she just didn't know any other way, or what there was to miss.


----------



## sweetpeasmom (Nov 20, 2003)

thats what my mom says too, she doesn't seem to care its just what was done. she had a hard time accepting the fact i went through a birth unmedicated and was eatin less than an hour later, she just couldn't comprehend. My aunt had the same thing and i asked her and she wished she was awake and things were different.


----------



## JayGee (Oct 5, 2002)

My Mom and I just talked about this after she saw my homebirth last month. She was completely amazed by my birth and absolutely in awe of natural childbirth. My siblings and I were born in 1968, 1969, and 1973 respectively. She said she got a pudenal block (which aparently numbs you from hipbones down, suppressing any urge to push) and we were all removed by foreceps after a large episiotomy. We were all taken right to the nursery for a few hours, given bottles and pacis and only brought to her every 4 hours to nurse. No wonder she had breastfeeding issues.


----------



## kewb (May 13, 2005)

That was my moms birth experience in '63 with my sister and '66 with me. She does not care. It was the way it was done. It obviously made it easier for her to let us cry it out.


----------



## Valerie (Jan 24, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JayGee*
My Mom and I just talked about this after she saw my homebirth last month. She was completely amazed by my birth and absolutely in awe of natural childbirth. My siblings and I were born in 1968, 1969, and 1973 respectively. She said she got a pudenal block (which aparently numbs you from hipbones down, suppressing any urge to push) and we were all removed by foreceps after a large episiotomy. We were all taken right to the nursery for a few hours, given bottles and pacis and only brought to her every 4 hours to nurse. No wonder she had breastfeeding issues.

Boy, the talk about "breastfeeding issues" brings back memories! My oldest son was born in 1978 (well, almost 1977 -- he was born on New Year's Day). I did have an unmedicated birth, though I still recall being wheeled into the delivery room and hearing one of the nurses say about me "...she did it all 'cold turkey'!". I had been repeatedly offered paracervical blocks during labor -- epidurals weren't really being used back then.

But as to breastfeeding -- I very much wanted to breastfeed my son. But in the hospital we were required to weigh our babies before we nursed them, and then again AFTER we nursed them. If they hadn't gained enough weight, we had to give them however many ounces of formula to make up for it. Sigh. So when I was discharged (after the usual four days of hospitalization), I was told I didn't have "enough milk" to nurse my baby, and was sent home with an extra 6-pack of formula...

Anyway, I went on to have my next child 14 months later, born at home and breastfed until he was 3 1/2. So much for "not enough milk"...

Valerie
Illinois


----------



## Daisie125 (Oct 26, 2005)

Those were my grandmother's birth stories my father (& his siblings) were all born in the mid to late 50's.

She says it was much "eaiser" than what I went through *rolleyes*. My great grandmother gave birth to her at home... I bet she was saddened by her daughter's births... wish I would have been able to ask her about hers.


----------



## captain optimism (Jan 2, 2003)

My mom had a lot of meds, but resisted the doctor's suggestion that she be put under. It apparently took a lot of strength of will on her part to assert that she ONLY be given a spinal. She also had to insist that she be allowed to wear her glasses!

The funny thing is that she had a very easy labor up until transition. They didn't give her the anaesthetic until she was already fully dilated. She played my dad in Scrabble (and I think she even won!) They gave her the meds not because she asked for them, or was in pain or anything, but because that was just what they did.

Is that ridiculous? She was fully capable of giving birth without help, and they gave her drugs "to make it easier" that made it impossible for her to do more than observe the birth? Which she only got to do because she said "hey, give me back my glasses, this looks like it might be interesting"!


----------



## TexasSuz (Mar 4, 2002)

Yeah, my mom had my sister while put under in 1966. I still don't understand it. So did they have to take the baby out by force in all cases? Can a baby get out without pushing? It must be awful to not remember your own child's birth.

Three years later, she had me 100% natural. She just waited until the last minute to go to the hospital and I was born 10 minutes after she got there!


----------



## LoveChild421 (Sep 10, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *JayGee*
She said she got a pudenal block (which aparently numbs you from hipbones down, suppressing any urge to push) and we were all removed by foreceps after a large episiotomy.

And Dr.s wonder why so many women of that generation now have serious prolapse/incontinence issues...gee how could cutting through the kegel muscle and then inserting large spoons and prying the baby out cause trauma?
















Dp's grandmother had 5 babies in the 60's and she was "knocked out" for all of the births. One was a stillbirth. She was forced to bottlefeed and ended up getting pregnant very soon (like 3 months) after each birth because she was told by her mother (who breastfed all her children) that you couldn't get pregnant that soon after. She ended up having a total hysterectomy at the age of 24 because of uterine prolapse due to all the damage done from the births. Everyone in her family talks about how she "went crazy" after the hysterectomy- most people seem like they blame her! I can't imagine having my female organs removed at 24 and not even being given hormone replacement (she wasn't offered anything other than "nerve pills"). It saddens me that much of her life was ruined because of the way her births were handled. Everything about birth and childrearing during that time period just seems so horribly wrong.


----------



## LisainCalifornia (May 29, 2002)

I was born in 1965, and my mom says she was "totally out of it" when I was born. I asked her a few times how they even get the baby out without the mom pushing at all (because even with forcepts, the mom often needs to move the baby down by pushing) and she says she has no idea. She is very glad that she had me that way, and never would want to give birth naturally.


----------



## nikirj (Oct 1, 2002)

I never had the opportunity to talk to my mom's mom about her births. My dad's mom had her babies at home and my mom was radical enough to homebirth in the 70s.

My husband's grandma told me that the instant she pushed her babies out, she was put under (unconscious). She asked me all kinds of questions about birthing my children, about placentas and umbilical cords; she had never seen one and had no idea what happens to a woman after her baby comes out, because she was always unconscious. All EIGHT of her children were born in this fashion! I thought that was very sad. At first I thought her questions were bizarre and they seemed like they might be attacking my homebirth decisions, but she shared more of her story and it became clear that she was asking painfully obvious questions not to force me into conversation, but because she had been robbed of having that experience herself.


----------



## BennyPai (Jul 22, 2005)

My mother was unconscious for the birth of my oldest sister, 1975 in Mobile, Alabama. Mama was married @ 14 (had never even been kissed) and had her first baby a year later. She really didn't know any better. She tells me she woke up, and was handed a beautiful baby and the nurses fed her grapes.
My mother birthed a total of 7 babies - the last 6 of us in the hospital non-medicated. She was shocked when she was about to push out #6 and was given her first episiotomy with no explanation.
Poor Mama! She is very interested & enthusiastic about my sisters' and my birth & nursing experiences.


----------



## phoebemommy (Mar 30, 2006)

It's a little off topic, but my MIL had DH in the 70's and is completely impressed by how aware and well informed I am about what's happening to my body (I'm 31 weeks right now). I told her what position he was in and that I knew when he flipped head down, and she was amazed that I knew. She's also amazed that I'm as healthy and feeling as good as I do, which I attribute to a regimentally healthy diet, something that's also a little mysterious to her.

My own mom had a completely natural hospital birth, also in the 70's, with no interventions. She must have just been in a bubble, because it was just how it was done. She never had any hassle about it and is baffled by all the crap I'm wading through and rejecting now.


----------



## deditus (Feb 22, 2006)

My grandmother's children were born pre-60's, but 8 births and 2 miscarriages led her to a life of prescription drug abuse. With 10 births in 15 years, each heavily medicated, she died two years ago addicted to painkillers that were first given to her in the hospital decades ago. She told me that she was knocked out for the births, she didn't even remember when the babies were ever given to her until she got out of the hospital, and sacks full of who knows what were placed on her chest and abdomen to "flatten them out".


----------



## Belle (Feb 6, 2005)

My mom's birth with me was a horror story of interventions in 1976. she was awake and alert but its a pretty horrible story nonetheless.

In 1970 my step-mother was shackled spread-eagle on a cold table and left to labor alone for two days. She didn't have any drugs but she did have a huge episiotomy.

Neither my mom nor my stepmom are apathetic about their births. I am pleased to say that both of their second births went much better.

My MIL said she's learned more from childbirth from her own kids haning children then she ever did when she was pregnant. She was always treated strangely because she breastfed her children though.


----------



## Seie (Jun 9, 2005)

My mom is a twin - and was born at home by my grandmother. My mom always told me about how she was all lifeless when she got out and they thought she was dead. So they wrapped her up in some paper and put her aside to care for the next baby. After a couple of minutes they heard noices from the paper - my mom moving around







: -
Anyway only recently did I talk to my grandmother about the birth. She told me that they used ether and that she was half asleep during delivery - at home :shock: No wonder my mom was weak and half-dead when she was born.. Using ether during birth sounds bloody dangerous to me..


----------



## broodymama (May 3, 2004)

My mother labored alone flat on her back in the hospital room, my dad refused to be in there with her. (Same with my stepmom 11 years later.) I was posterior and the labor was long, finally the doctor gassed her and pulled me out with forceps, she doesn't really remember much.









My DS was also posterior and I was talking with her about the different positions that I labored in to encourage him to turn over (which he did). She says she wished she had known about things like that back in 1975.


----------



## danav (Jun 3, 2005)

My mom hasn't talked much about her birth stories (she had 6 children from 1964 to 1978). I did ask her about my birth right around the time I had my first baby, and she said, "The nurse asked me to give her my hand, and the next thing I knew you were already born." When I pressed for details she just said there wasn't anything else to tell, other than she remembered it was a beautiful sunny day. I got the impression that she was knocked out without her consent. I was born in 1971.

I have no idea how the births of my siblings before and after me were (all vaginal births, I know that), but I do know that she was active in LLL and breastfed us (I nursed until I was 20 mos).

She is very accepting of natural birth. She wasn't present at my births, but she never had any problem with the fact that I had my babies at a freestanding birth center with midwives. And she seems supportive of my sister, who has been a doula and is now a midwife. I wish I knew if she had any of my siblings naturally - she just never talked about it (perhaps there is some resentment and pain there about things she wishes had gone differently?).


----------



## gentlebirthmothr (Jul 13, 2005)

When my grandmothers had my mother and father and their siblings. Uncle (1948), Dad (1949), Mom (1950), Aunt (1962) all of them were in the hospital I think with average birth back then. My grandfathers weren't allowed in the delivery room because that was the norm back then. Not sure how long they stayed in hospital after the birth. They didn't breastfeed them because it was bad to do to breastfeed. Not sure if they had paci. When my mother had my fraternal twin sister and me (1981), she had pretty much non med free birth, really not sure if moved around at all during labor or delivery. My father was in the room even though he doesn't and still doesn't like the hospital. My mom stayed 3 nights after our birth because we born the 2 days before New Years that year so she got the extra night. My mom breastfed us until 7 mo when our ped thought both of us weren't gaining that much weight and of my course my listen to the ped because shes a register nurse and did what was best for us, but in retrorespect I wish she breastfed us until we wanted to wean. However my mom didn't believe in paci at all, but however we had braces as well. Not sure if she had an episiotomy with us. Think my aunts births with my cousins were the average with epidurals, and so on, but her last cousin, it was really fast, plus she had a midwife with that one. 1st (1991), 2nd (1993), 3rd (1998). My uncle was in the room with her for the 1st 2, but the last one he wasn't (he isn't the biogacal father of that child, not going go into the story), my grandma was in the room with her for the last one. She stayed 2 days after that. I know that my aunt tried to breastfeed my 2nd cousin, and didn't breastfeed my 3rd one, not sure about the 1st one. My last 2 cousins had paci since birth until I think 3 yrs old and now they need braces. Not sure if my aunt had episiotomies.

Think thats it.


----------



## tsfairy (May 19, 2004)

With my birth in 1976, my mom had a whole slew of interventions and I was "born blue" and my mom hemmorhaged (not sure what happened). My dad wasn't allowed in the room and nobody would tell him what was going on even when he saw drs rushing into my mom's room. I'm pretty sure she was awake for the whole thing. With her 2nd baby (my sis) she went to a hospital birthing center. She had her 3rd & 4th at home.

MIL had DH in 1974, in Germany. FIL took her to the hospital, where they were greeted at the door by a nurse who told him to go home and wait for a phone call. I've never heard much more of the story than that, but MIL was very naive about the whole thing and laughs about it now.


----------



## jeanine123 (Jan 7, 2005)

All I know about my mom giving birth to me is that she was so numb they had to tell her when to push since she couldn't feel it. So at least she was awake for it. This was in WI in 1974.


----------



## Attached Mama (Dec 4, 2005)

Wow this is all so interesting!!

My Grandma who gave birth to all her children in the early 50's was knocked out for the births. Amazingly, she thinks me doing things naturally is great (tho I'd never tell her I'm planning a homebirth for #2) she always says when I describe things that that is the way the Native American women did it. She and my grandfather had many native american friends and a lot of respect for them.

My mom who had me (the oldest) in 1975 gave birth to all of us naturally in the hsptl tho she did have forceps with her second and I think episiotomies for all 3 of us - not sure on the epis.

My husband was born in 71 but his mom had an older doctor who routinely knocked out the woman. Strange thing is that I heard for years that my MIL was awful at giving birth and with pain and passed out at her first contraction and woke up after the baby was already there. It wasn't until I heard several yrs later her saying that she had fuzzy memories of waking, naming the baby and being kind of out of it b4 passing out again and that maybe she had been given something that I figured out she had been drugged for the birth - NOT passed out from the first contraction. SAD!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Jefinner (Jun 8, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Belle*
My mom's birth with me was a horror story of interventions in 1976. she was awake and alert but its a pretty horrible story nonetheless.

My MIL said she's learned more from childbirth from her own kids haning children then she ever did when she was pregnant. She was always treated strangely because she breastfed her children though.

This sounds exactly what my mom told me (I was even born in 76 - LOL!). Even when I had my oldest (induced... in a hospital... didn't know any better at the time...), she said she learned more about childbirth during my labor than her own. I was awake the whole time and got to hold her.

Then when I decided to use a midwife with my second, the woman that I thought was a hippie showed not to be so... LOL! "Are you going to have checkups?" "You're going to do that without any pain medication?" She was won over though when she saw little Anna.

It seems like the majority of people really want to medicalize birth... There are just different ways of doing it, depending on the technology of the time. Do you know they actually gave my grandma Sodium Penethol (sp???) with the birth of my mother??? YIKES!


----------



## AppleOrangePear (Apr 17, 2004)

IM pretty sure my mother was basically knocked out with both births though now she will probably tell me differently.. I do know with my older sibling my mother almost bled to death supposibly froma tear in her cervix? Sibling was born in 74 and i was 78. I always remember he telling me thats how babies were born back then but i had other friends that were homebirthed..... She also told me how she had to get her milk to stop coming in









I think im the only one in my family tree that i know of that had a natural birth, extended BF and planning a HB.. Kinda sad but also good that i can be added to the tree with that









Michele


----------



## frontierpsych (Jun 11, 2006)

Anyone else notice birth didn't get unusually scary until they put it in hospitals? When babies died before that it was usually poor hygene or diet or complications that could not be controlled. Then they put it in a hospital, children still died, but it was more often than not because of interventions! So what is hospitalized birth all about? Finding new ways to have dead babies?!

My mom had all her babies in a hospital, NCB for the first 2 (1986, 1988), epidural for the last (1990). She got an episiotomy with me (the first) tore with the second, and didn't tear or need episiotomy with the third. Pretty uneventful births compared to the rest of your parents, but they were later. I never got a chance to ask my grandmother about her birth stories (she had 7 from '57 to '72) but maybe i'll ask my dad's mom (she had 5 from '46 to '62) about hers. She isn't exactly all there (she's not that old, she's just off her rocker) but I'm sure she'd have some interesting stories.


----------



## ErinBird (Dec 5, 2005)

My mom had five births (83, 84, 86, 93, 98). The first three she was more or less encouraged to walk as much as possible. epidurals weren't at all common/routine, and she skipped all EFM . She saw an older OB who did perform episiotomies though. With the later births and a different, younger OB, she was pressured to induceinduceinduce. My sister born in 93 was born at 42w3d, and somehow mom avoided a "forced" induction. BY the end of the fifth birth, she had essentially had several 4th degree tears- lots of trauma from 5 episiotomies over the years- requiring reconstructive surgery.

My grandmother had 12 children from the late 40s through the early 70s. She was a nurse beofre getting married/having kids and resisted the typical knocked out birth for all her children. My grandfather wasn't allowed to be present for any of the births- he'd drop her off and go home to wait for a phone call. By the last few children, my grandmother knew when she was getting close to delivering and would wait to head to the hospital... there are a few kids that were born before my grandfather even made it home again (20 minutes away!).


----------



## Shelsi (Apr 4, 2005)

These stories are fascinating (and sad)!

I don't know a whole lot but I do know that when my MIL had my sister-in-law (her 2nd child) that my SIL was breech and my MIL refused to let them do a c-section. SIL was born in '82 I think. Anyways MIL says they kept telling her SIL was going to die if they didn't do the c-section. She said every nurse and doctor came in to try and force her to sign the forms...they actually tried to force her hand to write her signature!! She said she was terrified of a c-section though and still refused. SIL was born vaginally with some hip/leg issues that cleared up after about 3 years. Also my SIL was breastfed until she was 2







MIL and FIL also talk about how they went to the "hippie district" with my dh and they bought slings and carried him around like that all the time. My in-laws are way cool.

My grandmother had 2 children, one right after the other. My uncle was 6 weeks late! yep, you heard that right and I believe it was accurate as she ended up having lots of kidney and other health related problems because he got so big (he was 11 lbs and she was a very tiny woman). In photographs you can tell she is pregnant from behind because he was starting to buldge out her back as well! The OB refused to induce her even though she begged. This was in 1949. Finally when she went into labor she went very fast. She said my uncle was crowning before the OB arrived so the nurses kept PUSHING HIM BACK IN! Can you imagine how horrible that must feel?!?!? She said they pushed him back in for about 10 mins before the doc finally arrived. My uncle was born completely blue and not breathing for several minutes. He was severly brain damaged and has never been able to function on his own. He lived with my grandparents until they were too old to take proper care of him. Now in his late 50's he lives in a nice group home and is completely blind (has been since his 20's related to the brain damage). My grandparents tried to sue but I was never really told what came of it so I am assuming they lost. My grandmother always believed that if she had just stayed home my uncle would have been fine...although I do wonder if some of the brain damage was from a very deteriorated placenta.


----------



## nolonger (Jan 18, 2006)

These stories are really making me appreciate my mother. She had two natural births in '63 and '65, but describes them as being quite different. In '63, the doctor marched a whole slew of med students into the room where she was laboring and proceeded to give them a lecture about "The Miracle of Natural Childbirth" during which he said, "This woman has been practicing many complicated exercises for many months in order to be able to do this." when the only exercise Mom had done during the pregnancy was walking and gardening. When she tried to say something, she was "shush"ed.

My own birth in '65 was with a different doc and she describes it in positively glowing terms, other than the sadness she felt because she wanted to have more babies and she knew I would be the last.

My father was not at either birth. Mom didn't want him there and he didn't want to be there anyway. I think he was in some sort of a waiting room on the hospital premises. The marriage was pretty much history by the time I came along, anyway.

My sister and I were both nursed into toddlerhood.

Mom had always expected that I would have home births, so it was no big deal although she was a bit disappointed that I couldn't have a water birth like my sister's best friend had.

I don't know a whole lot about my grandmothers' births but I do know that my father's mother, who was a very small woman, was not allowed to gain more than six pounds during her entire pregnancy. She describes biscuits baking smelling like ambrosia and eating nothing but lettuce. She was also told to essentially Ferberize my father and describes the baby crying his eyes out on one side of a closed door and the Mom crying her eyes out on the other side. She remembered such details in her new mother stories! She wanted so badly to be the perfect mother to her only child (the doctors told her that another baby would kill her) and she had such complete trust in these authority figures that she later realized had betrayed her.

She was also incredibly supportive of AP methods and fascinated by the way her grandchildren were being raised. She lived long enough to know that they were homeschooled.


----------



## Jefinner (Jun 8, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Shelsi*
My uncle was 6 weeks late! yep, you heard that right and I believe it was accurate as she ended up having lots of kidney and other health related problems because he got so big (he was 11 lbs and she was a very tiny woman). In photographs you can tell she is pregnant from behind because he was starting to buldge out her back as well! The OB refused to induce her even though she begged. This was in 1949. Finally when she went into labor she went very fast. She said my uncle was crowning before the OB arrived so the nurses kept PUSHING HIM BACK IN! Can you imagine how horrible that must feel?!?!? She said they pushed him back in for about 10 mins before the doc finally arrived. My uncle was born completely blue and not breathing for several minutes. He was severly brain damaged and has never been able to function on his own. He lived with my grandparents until they were too old to take proper care of him. Now in his late 50's he lives in a nice group home and is completely blind (has been since his 20's related to the brain damage). My grandparents tried to sue but I was never really told what came of it so I am assuming they lost. My grandmother always believed that if she had just stayed home my uncle would have been fine...although I do wonder if some of the brain damage was from a very deteriorated placenta.

Wow... That is sad.







I'm very non-interventionalist, but it makes you wonder about the placenta. My son was almost 3 weeks late, and induction was never talked about, but we did have a couple biophysical profiles done... Funny thing is that his placenta was stronger and healthier than my previous child's... (She came the day before her due date...)


----------



## Jefinner (Jun 8, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *noordinaryspider*
I don't know a whole lot about my grandmothers' births but I do know that my father's mother, who was a very small woman, was not allowed to gain more than six pounds during her entire pregnancy. She describes biscuits baking smelling like ambrosia and eating nothing but lettuce. She was also told to essentially Ferberize my father and describes the baby crying his eyes out on one side of a closed door and the Mom crying her eyes out on the other side. She remembered such details in her new mother stories! She wanted so badly to be the perfect mother to her only child (the doctors told her that another baby would kill her) and she had such complete trust in these authority figures that she later realized had betrayed her.

She was also incredibly supportive of AP methods and fascinated by the way her grandchildren were being raised. She lived long enough to know that they were homeschooled.

Well, we do the best we can with what we know at the time... Your poor Grandma... Gosh, I remember having a hard time letting my son "cry it out" for about 2.5 minutes. (My husband made me give it a try to see if he would just fuss some... He never got to the bad cry/scream stage, but I'd never even let him cry at all when putting him down... He does sleep much better now, and is a much happier baby...) But anyway, I can't imagine just listening to your baby scream.


----------



## PerennialMom (May 22, 2004)

Wow! This IS a fascinating topic!

I don't know about my grandmother on my dad's side, but I know on my mom's side she had all her babies at home with a midwife. Not a CNM or anything like that, just a local lady who knew how to help babies and moms if they needed it.

My mom didn't care how 'they' did things back then. She had 3 easy, natural births in a hospital and nobody took her conciousness or her baby from her. This was in the early 70's and she's quite a hot head. I can't see ANYONE telling her what to do, white coat or not.

My MIL had her kids in a military hospital. With DH, the hospital was so busy, there were no rooms available. So they strapped her arms & legs down, caught the baby (he came fast) and put her in the hall....STILL strapped down with the baby in one of those plastic cages...I mean cribs.... next to her. She slipped out of her straps and picked him up. She wasn't knocked out or anything, just had what she calls a 'block' down there.

A PP pointed out how scary things got when moms were put in hospitals. I AGREE with that! I had natural birth in a hospital with my first and I was so scared just BEING there that my labor was pretty slow. I felt like a caged wolf whose territory had been invaded and I needed to flee. We're homebirthers now, expecting #3.


----------



## Babytime (May 4, 2004)

These stories are so sad. I've asked my grandmother about her births and she talks more about staying in the hospital for a week (!) after each birth and her husband not allowed in the birthing room than about anything else. I'll have to gently pry more information from her.


----------



## MCatLvrMom2A&X (Nov 18, 2004)

When my aunt was in labor in '64 they gave her medication that made her got out of her head as my mom calls it. She was still in pain but she was so drugged she was grabbing her belly and pulling on it mom said she was black and blue for weeks on her tummy. Not only that but she tore down both thighs and back up into her rectum. My mom had to care for her after it. She was knocked completly out when birth was imminent and baby was delivered via forcepts. Prolly why she tore so horribly. She ended up with such bad scare tissue that she had a hysterectomy a few years later.

My mom with my oldest brother was knocked out and the baby was brought to her a few hours later when she came to he was removed via forcepts and had extensive bruising. he was bfed up to 7mo cause the dr didnt beleive in FF. With me '72she stayed home so long that when she got there I was on my way







she told me the nurse checked her so ruffly that it broke her water. She described it as the nurse ramming her hand in there. When her water broke I was on my way out and they had to deliver me without mom being shaved or given a enema. That was standard practice back then. With my younger brother '74 she had a really hard time. From what she describes I think he was sunny side up cause her back felt as tho it was gonna come into and she thought she was gonna die. He came out the biggest at just shy of 10pds. She was knocked out only as he was coming out, twighlight sleep she called it, and he was also a forcepts birth he had dents in his face and skull from them and when he came out he was limp and blue. Mom sayed his whole face was bruised. Because of issues with my oldest brother she never even tried to bfed either of us and was given shots to dry up her milk.

One of my gramma's had 3 of her's at home in the 40's and the last in the hospital 60's. The dr used ether on her at home so she slept thru the births. The last one arrived barly inside the hospital doors. She bfed all but her first, my mom, cause gramma had the flu and mom got pnumonia so she had major issues with her milk coming in. The last was bfed till she weaned around 3-4yo.

The other gramma had 12 children 11 of which survived in the years from '38-'60. She had them at a local clinic. I dont know much details about the births tho. All i could get from my dad is that "most of them" were bfed. Have no idea how many or how long. Need to pick my dad's brain. Just weird cause in my family we dont talk about "woman" issues







:


----------



## AppleOrangePear (Apr 17, 2004)

Quote:

I AGREE with that! I had natural birth in a hospital with my first and I was so scared just BEING there that my labor was pretty slow. I felt like a caged wolf whose territory had been invaded and I needed to flee. We're homebirthers now, expecting #3.
DS#1 was also a hospital birth and even though I had him completly natural, not hooked up etc I was soo nervous to LEAVE the house. I Knew my contractions were strong, I knew he was pretty low but i remember being so worried that maybe to the hospital I wouldnt be far enough along. Literally as soon as i walked in the the hospital when DH was checking me in I made it very LOUD and CLEAR that NOBODY better mention any drugs and to just go away! Nurses made comments ( which DH told me more about after the birth) . After the birth it was a big deal and the MWs head DR and others were congratulating me because it was such a big deal that I had a natural and quick labor.. It was as though I was some Superwoman.I was literally talk of the floor. Thats SAD! I was just a first time mom with my DH doing what we felt was best and trusting my body.

michele


----------



## boscopup (Jul 15, 2005)

Wow, it is amazing what hospital birth has been like in the past.

My mom had 3 children, and as far as I know, she wasn't drugged for any of them. She was smart and waited as long as possible before going to the hospital, so by time she got there, baby was ready to come. She almost had me in the parking lot!







Baby #1 did come out with the help of forceps, but the others were "allowed" to come out on their own. I'm not sure what the deal was with the forceps usage.

My dad was present only for the last birth (mine). The first one, he was on a plane back from Turkey where he'd been stationed in the Army. The 2nd one, they still didn't allow dads in the delivery room. And the third, he got to be in there, and when they laid me in the warmer, he said "That's like a McDonald's french frier machine!" The nurse was not amused.









My mom breastfed all of us, thanks to a wonderful neighbor across the street who had breastfed all of her children and helped my mom to learn it too.







She let us all self-wean, but we all self-weaned before 1 year, usually not long after we started eating finger foods and such. My sister was started on solids fairly early, like maybe 2 months? That was the recommendation then. My brother was started on solids around 4 months - the recs had changed. And I wasn't started on solids until 6 months, because again, the recs had changed.









My best friend's mother had her babies in military hospitals in the 70s, and she was told that it was BAD to breastfeed, so she formula fed all her babies. At one hospital, they had the women line up the day after giving birth and get on this table and do a sit-up. My friend's mom was 2nd to last in line, and when she got up there, she said NO WAY! The other moms all glared at her - none of them had stood up for themselves, and they'd all gotten on there and painfully done a sit-up.

I have a baby care sheet from my local military hospital around that time, and it's scary what it says on there about feeding and such... recommending you start solids at 2 weeks, etc. And it says you should feed formula, not breastfeed. Really scary stuff. This sheet came from my MIL, but thankfully, she *did* breastfeed DH (and I think she had a natural birth too). My MIL is always amazed at how much I know about labor and birth though. Back then, they weren't told much, and she finds it so neat that I know where my uterus is at different points in pregnancy and I know what baby is doing inside developmentally, etc. She really wishes she'd had information like that back then. Alas, she was told that her 8.5 lb baby (supposedly 2.5 weeks early - although she told me conception date, and he was only 4 days early) was as big as she could birth vaginally, and that if she had a 2nd, she'd have to have a C-section because she wouldn't be able to birth anything bigger.







This woman is short, but she's got a WIDE pelvis. I don't think she'd have ANY trouble birthing a 10+ lb baby, if allowed to get in an appropriate position.

Anyway, I think hospitals have come a long way since the days of "twighlight birth", etc., but they still have a long way to go, with the interventions typically used now (especially unnecessary inductions). There certainly is a place for hospital birth, so I think it's important to continue to work towards changes in hospital birth policies and such, while also educating women about the availability of homebirth and the benefits of it for low risk births. There are some good hospitals out there that I wouldn't mind birthing at, and some that I wouldn't touch with a 10 ft pole! Hopefully we can make some positive changes so our own children can have safe places to birth, whether it be home or in the hospital.


----------



## Clarinet (Nov 3, 2005)

My Mom had three c-sections. She failed to progress at all 24 hours after her water broke with my brother so the doctors operated. This was 1977. My younger brother and I were scheduled c-sections in 1979 and 1983. Mom says there was never any discussion about whether or not she'd have c-sections, just "pick a date, ma'am."

My mother in law had three unmedicated births in 1966, 1967, 1973 and my husband's 1975 birth was too painful for her but she doesn't remember what she got for it.


----------



## LianneM (May 26, 2004)

My grandmother had 2 c-sections. I'm not sure why she had the first, but I know once she'd had one then the 2nd was planned. My uncle (the 2nd) was premature and they were told to just leave him alone and not touch him, because he was so fragile.

My mom had 3 c-sections. The first was for placenta previa and the baby didn't make it







I was born exactly a year later and they were afraid of rupture so didn't let her vbac. My sister was scheduled as well. It was the early 80s so I think vbac wasn't that common anyway.


----------



## minkajane (Jun 5, 2005)

My mom had three epidural-assisted vaginal births (82, 83, 84). My brother was her first and although she claims all three births were quick and easy, he was born with forceps. Maybe it was standard procedure at that hospital for first babies and small women? He's now legally blind in one eye and nearly so in the other from forceps damage. Legal action against the hospital was never considered. I was six weeks early and was rushed away immediately after birth. I stayed in the hospital for several weeks. There's only one picture of me from that time, taken through the glass window on the door of the nursery. My mom is holding me, wearing a surgical gown. We were all three breastfed, my brother and sister to 12 months and me to 15 since I was so small, though I did receive formula supplements during growth spurts "until her milk caught up" according to my dad. My brother was circ'd without thought because that's what a penis was supposed to look like.

MIL had two C-sections. She was told she had CPD and was fully dilated at 4 cm. I'm guessing that she had failure to progress at 4 cm (is that even considered active labor?) with her older son and was told that she had to have a C-section with her second. Both boys were circ'd because she was under the impression that they would be horrified and terribly scarred if their penis was different than their dad's during potty training. She breastfed both. I'm not sure how long the older son was BF, but DH was almost 5.


----------



## paxye (Mar 31, 2005)

My mom had natural birth...

but my grandmother had 5 twilight births....

If you don't know the details of what being knocked out during birth is you can look up "twilight sleep"...

Summary...pretty much it is 2 drugs were given...
1 was for pain relief (morphine)
the other was for amnesia...(Scopolamine)

So the mom would really wake up not remembering anything...

When my grandmother gave birth not only was she put into "twilight sleep" but the babies were also sent to the nuns for a few weeks and would come back sleeping through the night and on a perfect schedule... Pretty sad....


----------



## kerikadi (Nov 22, 2001)

My Mom gave birth to my sis in 62, brother in 64 without pain meds, with our Father at her side and was given her babies immediately to BF BUT Dr. Dick Bradley was her OB









She moved from CO to AZ before she had me and as a nurse learned who she did and did NOT want to be her OB. She gave birth to me in 69 drug free but my Father was not allowed in the room as it was illegal in AZ at the time









Consequently, my Mom has been very supportive of my birth choices including homebirth









Keri


----------



## minkajane (Jun 5, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *kerikadi*
She gave birth to me in 69 drug free but my Father was not allowed in the room as it was illegal in AZ at the time









ILLEGAL? Are you sure? Or is that just what the nurses told people to cover their butts for not allowing the fathers to be present? I've heard "it's illegal" about homebirth, vaxing, homeschooling, etc, when it's really not and I find it very hard to believe that it would be illegal for a father to be in the room during a vaginal birth. How could they justify a LAW like that? Hospital policy, maybe, law, no.


----------



## kerikadi (Nov 22, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *minkajane*
ILLEGAL? Are you sure? Or is that just what the nurses told people to cover their butts for not allowing the fathers to be present? I've heard "it's illegal" about homebirth, vaxing, homeschooling, etc, when it's really not and I find it very hard to believe that it would be illegal for a father to be in the room during a vaginal birth. How could they justify a LAW like that? Hospital policy, maybe, law, no.

Who knows really whether it was illegal or just policy at the time? My Dad actually punched out an orderly that was trying to keep him out of the room and my Mom finally just told him to let it go, she would be fine. Thankfully she was an experienced birther.

Keri


----------



## kymholly (Jul 18, 2004)

sweetpeasmom said:


> ...
> 
> Laura, Momma to Kaitlyn 3/03 & Megan 10/04 -After 9 mths of exclusive pumping - we have established nursing We never gave up
> 
> ...


----------



## MindOverLaborDoula (May 2, 2006)

My mama's mother had all 4 of her daughters while she was *asleep* and was told absolutely to not b/f. In fact she always thought that it was disgusting







. She said that she went to the hospital and woke up 3 days later and they handed her a baby each time. (I always knew my aunt didn't belong, they probably switched her







)
With my sister (76) my mom was due 5-14 and she was born 6-24. Mom knew exactly when she was conceived and the doctor always said that a baby would come when it was ready. She finally went into labor and 3 hours later she was born.. shaved, enema, epi.
I was born in 79. I was due 9-13 and born 10-1. When her water broke Carson was almost over (1230ish?). She had to wait on my grandmother, aunt and dad to take showers since she had a 4 hour labor last time and they knew that they would have time. Mom didnt' b/f us because my grandmother told her not to.
When she got to the hospital, after her shaving and enema, she needed to have another BM but couldn't get a nurse to come in. TMI warning: She climbed up over the rails and squirted the whole way there and back. Took off her gown and wiped it off and got another one. When the nurse came in.. whoops! She fell right on her butt! (guess mom missed a spot!) Mom explained what happened. The nurse said, "no honey, that's the baby pooping"! I was breech and Mom didn't even know it! I was born at 136am. Not much of a labor! I did have some hip problems which were *corrected* by swaddling me up really tightly for a couple of months!
My other grandmother's water broke on Monday morning. They called the doctor and he came and said that she wasn't in labor. That Friday she went into labor and my dad was born butt first too! I just tried to call her to find out if she had any procedures done to her.. I guess I have to find that stuff out!








No dads were allowed with any of the above. Now you guys have me calling everyone I know that had babies back then!!


----------



## savithny (Oct 23, 2005)

I was born in '69.

MOm was afraid the doctor she hated was on duty the night she went into labor, so she stayed home as long as she could. Her vague thought was that she'd wait until it was so late that she' dhave to go to the nearby hospital that no longer did deliveries and have the ER docs deliver me.

She got to the hospital and was put in a room to wait, because she was a first-timer and there was a woman there having her fifth. She went through transition alone in that room (with dad waiting outside when he coudl have been with her for that). The nurse came in, checked her, discovered she was completely dialated, and told the doc Mom was ready to go...

And the doc said "Put the primagravida on ice for me while I deliver this one."

So they saddle-blocked her up to the gills, made her totally numb so she couldn't even push, and then came back in an hour and pulled me out. The OB pulled me out so hard he pulled mom's butt off the table -- and then yelled at her when she couldn't drag her numb butt and legs back onto it. She was given a shot to stop her milk without asking.

It's funny -she went through the most painful part of labor unmedicated, but she was so worried when I told her I was going to go sans drugs that the pain would give me post-traumatic stress







But then she reflected and said "actually, it wasn't that bad, and it was over really quick." My labors were both a LOT like hers. Except that I had good midwives (CNMs) and a jetted hot tub (hospital).

She also says that a year after I was born, one of her friends had a baby. Natural childbirth AND she breastfed, and she rmemebers watching her friend nurse with the feeling of "No one even told me that was an option." She really regretted not having the chance to try, and was VERY supportive of my nursing -- read up on it and sent me articles!

One of my grandmothers nursed -- literally because they were too poor not to, and it was somewhat of a mark of shame in an aspiring white-collar family. The other grandmother was all sporty and modern for 1940, married to a scientist, and "formula" was considered the wave of the future. But her husband also was deeply involved in baby care, and actually taught a class in baby care for dads at the local hospital!


----------



## oregongirlie (Mar 14, 2006)

I was born in '71. I know that I was screaming before I was all the way out and they used forceps. After I was born the nurse tried to hand my mom a glass of water. After she said, "I can't take that, -- I can't move my arms." everyone got nervous. I guess she was over medicated. Later he Dr. asked whether she'd like to breastfeed and she said she didn't know, so he just gave her a shot and said that it was messy or a hassle or something.


----------



## megjo (May 21, 2006)

how sad!!

My grandmother gave birth in twilight to her three sons after laboring for hours alone! She remembers a housekeeper who kept her company and helped her through contractions with her second son. With her last baby, a girl, she refused all meds and said that the doctor was robbing her of the best part. She delivered a girl and her remark was, "Isnt' she beautiful!" Unfortunetly, breasfeeding was not the thing to do, instead she gave them whole cow's milk.


----------



## AnnesMoM (Jun 19, 2005)

My mom had me in '74. My water broke at home, I'd guess about 10:00pm since she said she woke up at night thinking she was sick from supper. Don't know exactly what happened since she doesn't talk about things like that, but my guess is she had an epi as soon as she got to the hospital since she thinks her body has never had contractions. I know I was pulled out with forceps at 3:30am (I still have indentations on the sides of my head







: ). She said she ASKED to be knocked out since she just wanted to "get it over with". She's happy how it went, I guess, since she's not very supportive of natural birth. She told me that "You came out OK" . With #2, she was 2 weeks overdue and the doctor did pelvimetry and told her he was too big so she got to have a C-sec. As crazy as she is concerning ideas about birth, she did bf us both for nearly a year.
She doesn't know about our homebirth plans. She keeps asking me if my midwife has ever been in prison since all she knows about are the trials on Court TV







. She asked me if I've seen her credentials (I'm in Illinois where they are illegal), umm yeah mom, she's a CNM







(she's a DEM).


----------



## PudnHead (Aug 25, 2005)

My mom was also unconscious when she delivered her babies. She had 3 babies: one in 1967, one in 1968 (me)and one in 1970. She has always said that it was like the stork brought the babies. She when into the hospital and was knocked out. When she woke up, she had a baby. It was almost like she didn't give birth.

My youngest brother was born in 1970 and she barely made it to the hospital. He was born within 5 minutes after she arrived at the hospital. She was mad because they still knocked her out.

At least she got to see my delivery. I think she was fascinated by it. She kept telling my husband to look when Cory was crowning. DH wasn't very thrilled, he looked very begrudgingly.


----------



## PudnHead (Aug 25, 2005)

I also wanted to say that my mom tried Bfing my older brother and always said that he rejected her. After that she didn't try to BF either me or my younger brother.







I was worried that my child might "reject" me also. When I was pregnant and people asked me if I was going to BF, I always said if I can.

Well, I had problems with a weak latch and a sleepy baby. I pumped for 1 month before I got him to latch on. I was very determined and had a great LC and I am still BFing 2 years later.

My mom has since talked more about the problems. I guess my brother was nursing great at the hospital, but wouldn't nurse when she got home. My dad's mom tried to help (her mom didn't BF), but it didn't help. She went to her doctor about it, but he was no help. She wanted to contact LLL, but never did. I think she regrets it now.

It's a shame. If she had more education, she might have BF all of us.


----------



## annakiss (Apr 4, 2003)

I was born at home, but wanted to comment on what was given to mom's - they were given scolopamine and morphine in order to make them forget their births (scolopamine has this effect). Scolopamine is also a psychoactive drug, however, and tended to make birth nightmarish for the women and act like complete lunatics - they were paranoid and crazed, often recounting their deepest, darkest secrets, but being quite confused all the while. It sounds like complete torture to me, especially since they were generally strapped down to a table during all this. Episiotomies and forceps deliveries were standard.


----------



## phoebemommy (Mar 30, 2006)

Speaking of scopalomine -- I was watching "Guns of Navarone", a WWII movie, and the Nazis gave an American soldier scopalomine to make him tell all his secrets. Interesting.


----------



## Peppamint (Oct 19, 2002)

My MIL had six babies between 1952 and 1962. She knocked herself out with ether all six times and woke later to be handed a baby several hours old, not knowing how the baby got out.







I questioned her and she did have stitches for all six babies so I'm assuming large episiotomy, forceps and someone jumping on her stomach most likely. <shudder> The first baby she saw brand new was her daughter's baby.

My mom had three babies between 1981 and 1988. I was her first baby, she had a spinal at the recommendation of her step-MIL and hated it. Because of the spinal, there were forceps and episiotomy involved. My middle brother was born in 1987, mom waited as long as she could to go to the hospital but still ended up with an episiotomy. My youngest brother was born in 1988, she was induced at 43 weeks and had a quick labor which the doctor almost missed (didn't believe her that it was almost time), again she was given an episiotomy. You should hear my dad preach against episiotomies.










Both MIL and my mom were at my first birth at the hospital and then at my two homebirths and they are both pro-homebirth. I wonder why?


----------



## Peppamint (Oct 19, 2002)

I forgot to mention that the enema, shave etc routine was given to my mom all three times.







How degrading.


----------



## Pandora114 (Apr 21, 2005)

*goes and makes a spinoff thread*


----------



## PudnHead (Aug 25, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *busybusymomma*
I forgot to mention that the enema, shave etc routine was given to my mom all three times.







How degrading.









My mom also talked about the shaving. Her and my aunts (her SIL) all had babies around the same time and they all complained about the shaving.


----------



## MamaTaraX (Oct 5, 2004)

Oh, I saw the othe rpost before this







(and I haven't read replies yet but intend to)

My mom talks about all of her births, a lot. I can tell you my birth story and that of my siblings in great detail. I'm glad that she has done this for us. Her first two were born in the mid-60s under twilight-anestheia. She had VERY short labors, her longest being 4 hours. She was awake and alert for those first two births the entire time EXCEPT pushing! When she was ready to push she heard "knock her out". This was done and a baby came out. She was awakened immediately following the expelling of the baby. Made absolutely no sense why thye did that. My first brother was born with forceps @ around 30 weeks, my big sister was born at around 34 weeks. She had generous episiotomies for both of them which I'm sure were necessary considering she was unconcious.

She doesn't feel as disconnected as many women I have spoken to that have epxeirneced this. I think that some has to do with the length of time she was under. For one of them, she was put under, pushed a baby out. Was awakened and soon after they decided she needed a D&C so she was knocked right back out. She was only out an hour for the D&C at most. So she was able to experience her labors completely, just not the actual emergence. She is sad for that. She did not wish this to occur and asked for it to not occur. She does say "that's just whaet they did" but not because she's okay withit or disconnected from it, but rather because it's a matter of fact. That IS just what they did. She's not happy about it and she's glad to see this has changed. My little brother and I were born drug-free and she will tel you the birth difference was night and day and the only real difference was being "there" when we emerged. In fact, had she not been awake or even drugged in any way for my little bro's birth, it could have ben much worse. He was breech and she really birthed that baby! He was STUCK and she knew it. She didn't want instruments or anything so she told the doc she'd push if he'd pull gently. So she pushed like the woman she is and he gently pulled and out he came. She loved being a part of those two births.

Namaste, Tara


----------



## Katana (Nov 16, 2002)

My grandma has just started talking about her births (4 between '43 and '50), and I've been shocked and so sad for her.

She had twilight births with all of them, and then didn't see any of the babies for two weeks. She didn't breast feed any of them, and she said she thinks they were fed water, since she doesn't remember formula being around.

Water, for the first two weeks, and nothing else. I was like









My mom was considered radical, because she refused all drugs and did it natural for all of us ('72, '74, and '77) in the hospital. Also, my dad was in the delivery room, which was almost unheard of. They had to take special classes for him to be there.

She even had me and my sister (twins) vaginally. But that was mostly because we came really fast, there was no time to c-section. The doctor actually yelled at her for delivering me right after my sister. It's like, with a natural birth, you can't stop the pushing process.







: The doctors she had treated her like crap, for all of us. I said, why didn't you find someone else, and she said, that wasn't done.









She's said, now, that she wishes she'd been brave enough to try homebirth. I'm sorry she couldn't, I think she would have done really well.


----------



## texaspeach (Jun 19, 2005)

This post has made me sad that my granny isn't around for me to ask about her births. She had 11 children (dad was born in 1945, and he's smack in the middle of the age range)! I'm fairly sure that they were bf'd as they were really poor. I'll have to ask dad if any of his brothers were born at home.

I don't know anything about my mom's first birth (in '66), I'm sure she's mentioned it but I can't remember if she was awake or not. Her second birth was in '68 and she recalls having around 50 hours of labor with no drugs, but then having a forceps delivery with some kind of 'block'. Not sure if the block was a spinal or a saddle block. She said she had a pretty bad episiotomy. I asked her why they had to do all that, and she said my brother 'was stuck at the shoulders'. She does not remember either of these births fondly. She didn't bf either of my half brothers.

When she had me in '82 she took lamaze cb classes with dad and prepared for an unmedicated birth. Apparently I kept flipping from transverse to breech so the doc asked mom if she wanted to do a c-section or try a version. As bad as sections are for some women, mom says this was her best birth. She was able to prepare for the birth and had a pretty good experience except for the spinal headache. She felt like an active participant in the decision to have a c/s. Dad was upset that he wasn't allowed to be in the room, I guess no one extra was allowed in the operating room then.


----------



## loudmama (Mar 12, 2005)

For those wondering how babies got out during twilight sleep; not only were forceps used & episiotomies done, but often someone was pushing on their bellies to get the baby out! No wonder some were bruised all over!

One thing I keep thinking about all of this is, is how our Moms/Grandmothers gave birth was determined by their economic situation. Were women with more money giving birth in the hospital with drugs & then formula feeding? Also, those who wanted to give the appearance of having more money?

I'm not sure how my Mom's Mom gave birth, but I know she breastfed most of her children. I'm thinking it was do to them being pretty poor as much as her just thinking that's what breasts are for. My Dad's Mom didn't breastfeed, & it wouldn't surprise me if it had to do with my grandfather wanting to keep up the appearance of having more money.

Just something I think about....

L


----------



## MindOverLaborDoula (May 2, 2006)

I agree with that.. My maternal grandmother was the same way- she only used formula with her children because it showed that she had $$!
How sad!!!


----------



## skye's mama (Jun 12, 2003)

As my mom tells it, the reason her first child was born at home in '62 was because she could not find a hospital that would allow my father to be present. It doesn't sound like she was so concerned about being put under, just that my dad wouldn't be around when it happened. She was living in Chicago and someone told her there was a Dr. Gregory White who did homebirths.

He was her o.b. again when she had her second child at home in '64. I think he basically made it just as the baby was coming out both times.

By the time she was pregnant with me, her third, my parents had moved and she was not able to find someone to attend a homebirth (fingerlakes region of N.Y.). But instead she just never made it to the hospital. So I guess I was technically a UC. She makes it sound like that was not her intention, but I am not so sure. I was born around 2 a.m. She claims my father was telling her "stop pushing" and she would say "I'm not pushing" and after a few minutes of that I was out.

When she had her last child in '68 we were living in the Catskill Mtns. in New York. This was another UC, but I am not quite sure if the plan was to have a doctor attend at home or to go to the hospital. I vaguely remember it because it was bedtime and my dad was reading to us and then would run into my parents bedroom and then come back and read some more and back and forth. And then at some point we went into their bedroom and met our new sibling.

Anyway, she had 4 for 4 homebirths in the 60's. I guess she is an exception. It is kind of interesting that she started down that path because of the aweful rule about dads not being present at delivery. Though I have an aunt that claims my mom was into all this natural lifestyle stuff and that is why she had homebirths. My mom sometimes makes herself sound kind of ditzy when she actually is very intelligent. That is a whole different thread about attitudes in the 60s.

My mom breastfed all of her children. At some point while still breastfeeding me, she also pumped for another woman who was trying to re-lactate. That woman lived in the country and in attempt to be modern was formula-feeding. Her child developed horrible allergies. The woman did eventually relactate.

I wish my mom would write all of this down sometime, about her births and the pumping. But she just kind of shrugs it off as an everyday thing. Which is good in a way, because my attitude towards homebirth and nursing has therefore been that it is just an everyday thing.

(p.s. Dr. Gregory White is the husband of the co-founder of LLL.)


----------

