Did you have babies in the 60's?

I so remember the baby clothes described by nana nina! My 2nd (boy) and 3rd (girl) babies were born 1960 and 1963 - at home! Bliss! Compared to my first daughter in 1957 when I had to stay in hospital for 2 weeks, only husbands to visit! I was overdue with my 4th (girl) so they made me go in hospital for only 2 days in 1966 but it was pretty awful! My main memory is after the first one trying to follow the baby book which said "feed, change, return to cot" she never seemed to get back to the cot - what with nappy changes and top up feeds! Thank goodness I learnt by experience and the others were so much easier!

Amazing how things change - I was given iron tablets in 1973 as a matter of routine (also in Devon annodomini)

By 1982 I was told that iron tablets were not given unless absolutely necessary. Even when I was dizzy and breathless I was refused them until they realised how anaemic I was!

In 1971, I had tea and toast after a hard labour with DS1 - in Exeter. Was very anaemic after he was born but no transfusion was given. Went home after 6 days and GP attended for a couple of weeks to give me iron injections which made my thighs black. They took almost a year to fade completely.

Conni7 I asked for a cup of tea after DC1 was born after a long labour. The nurse said 'oh, no, you'll only be sick' and left me to it without even a drink of water.
After DC2 was born I said 'I'd love a cup of tea but I suppose I'm not allowed one in case I'm sick'. The nurse said 'Of course you can have a cuppa, you deserve one, I'll go and make you one now, why would you be sick?'.

And.......btw we didn't get any child benefit for the first child when it would have been very useful because it was very expensive to buy pram, cot, clothes and nappies, food and all the other things the baby needed.??

I had my first in 1958 - in a nursing home when men were hardly mentioned and certain not allowed in except at visiting time (adhered to very firmly) and certainly never at 'the business end' - shock, horror. Men, in those days, would have been shocked and horrified themselves at the 'thought'! I had my second in 1960 and the third in 1962. We weren't allowed visits from other children at home, had to stay for a fortnight and were almost strangers when we were allowed out. We were strongly encouraged to breastfeed and the nurses were disappointed (aka disgusted) when we either couldn't or wouldn't! The babies were taken away at night. They were put in the garden in their little cribs, rain or shine and when it did rain, the nurses didn't exactly exert themselves to bring them in. They came home looking very healthy so it can't have been all bad. My fourth arrived in 1964 at home and it was quite marvellous - a lovely kind midwife - he arrived with the cord around his neck which she didn't deserve but all was well and I got up almost immediately and did exactly what I wanted to do. It was great!!??

Nanania This all so familiar my first daughter was born in hospital in 1961 the others were born at home. When the last one was born the midwife who delivered her had been present wen the first one was born. She had been a sister in the hospital a real battleaxe but had decided to give it up and do home births. She could not drive so if she had to go out at night she got her brother to take her. She was so different could not have been nicer. I am now 81

Nananina-I am 79! Had babies in 1961+ 1963.First in hospital, husband sent away and after shave! Bath and enema just got on with it- not a good experience. 2nd was born at home, which was lovely,husband in attendance ,son brought out of his cot to see his baby sister to be weighed! No rest afterwards as I had after hospital birth but coped O.K. Husband remembers the night of home birth as the only night in his life he did not sleep! Me neither!

There were no facilities for changing a baby right up until 1979 when my last child was clean and dry.

I was told off by an elderly lady in about 1977 for changing my baby in a public toilet - where else was I supposed to go?

You couldn't go anywhere on a bus because the prams couldn't be dismantled. Eventually I had a small collapsible pushchair which you could put in the luggage area and later a buggy which was wonderful.

I don't think young mums realise how lucky they are with baby changing rooms and pushchairs welcome on buses. I spent years between 1970 and 1979 asking for a highchair which was rarely available, now all restaurants and supermarkets have them.

I remember dress shops having signs saying "No prams or pushchairs."

Ah yes! I remember it well! In 1962 I was in the maternity home for a week and we were given a sleeping pill each night. I realised when I didn't take it that this was passed on to the baby with the breast milk (not allowed a bottle - what agonies, went from 34" to 38" bust in three days), whilst the nurses had a natter all night. 1963 was much better at home, 'though it was so quick that the midwife only just made it. But no special changing rooms anywhere then. (I remember changing my son on the floor of a public lavatory). No buses where you could wheel the pram or the pushchair straight in. It had to be dismantled first - I remember doing this when I was five month pregnant with the second. Number three in 1971 wasn't much better. I was an "elderly multiple" and had to go into hospital. Left on the table after giving birth for about three hours, so missed breakfast. When I said "I'd love a cup of tea" the nurse said "Wouldn't we all, love" and walked off.

What fun I had reading all your memories. My 4 were 70's babies (I had 4 under 5 &1/2 but wouldn't have had it any other way) and so many of the items you have all mentioned I also had. The babybox is currently in use for some of the extensive Lego collection and I passed my 'mouli' on to my DiL. What she did with I don't know. Yes, I enjoyed having a full week in the maternity home (pooh, did the loos pong!) but the staff were kind just overzealous with the 'Have you passed a motion today?' every day until one could say 'Yes sister'.
Number 2 was to have been a homebirth but she messed about for so long that we ended up in hospital much to my relief and disappointment. DS just let me finish the shopping, dump the 2 girls with a neighbour and get to the hospital well before Dad arrived and with number 4, as I was now such an 'old' mum (33) and had the 3 littlies at home I was allowed to sped 10 days in the hospital where I actually managed to get a good rest . Even had 4 or 6 weeks of home-help on the state when I got home. I do remember rushing around to tidy for her arrival and then 'finding' things for her to do.
The District nurse used to come round for a cuppa and a chat and barely looked at the baby. I think she thought I was coping alright.
I made quite a few garments for DD1 but gave up after her as it was cheaper to buy readymade. Nighties were cute but babygros were a boon (feet cut out as the baby grew so as not to squash the toes)

I had my first baby in a military hospital in Germany. (1976) She had some blisters in her armpits so they isolated her. They then tied her arms to the sides of the cots like she was being crucified. This was to let air at her armpits. They kept her like that for nine days. I was only allowed to untie her at feeding times. It seemed barbaric to me. We were very young parents and did what the doctors told us. I think this bad start was the cause of me being a very stressed out mother.

I remember when I had my 4th child in July 1966. I had to stay in hospital 10 days as she was a rhesus baby and had to have a blood transfusion at birth. At visiting time, alll the dads came in, gave their wives a quick kiss and then dashed off to the sit round the television to watch the World Cup - a complete waste of visiting hour.

I mean she is quite slender! Duh!!

Yes, Ana and poor DD is not quite slender.

There was a horrid roll of disposable nappy called Paddipad which brought my DS1 out in awful nappy rash which he had never had previously. So when we went away we had to take the nappies and related parphernalia. I remember bringing a load of raspberries back from Scotland in a well sterilised and scrubbed nappy pail.

Goodness, rosequartz, a 10lb plus baby - makes your eyes water just thinking about it!

Quite a whopper then djen (and speedy too!). Was he a very tall child?

DGS was huge (nearly a pound larger) and nothing fitted him, he had to go into 3-6 months size. He carried on being very large until about age 2; he is now very tall for his age and skinny.

My mother was a nurse, too, Eleanorre. She was working nights when my eldest was born, and one of the nurses at the maternity hospital knew her.
My son was 9 lb 12 oz when he was born, and none of the clothes we had fitted him.
My mother was greeted with, "Hello, Granny, " by one of the nurses on her ward, so found out about him, and went into Hull city centre and bought him some bigger clothes on her way to visit us - and so he had some clothes to come home in!

Mine were born in 1965, 1966 and 1970. I am not sure when the Edinburgh Mothercare oppened, but I do remember that at first it catered for children up to just younger than my baby. Then their range was extended - in time for mine to be just too old again.

Mine were born in the 60s and Mothercare had shops then . I got maternity clothes in them . My mother was a nurse ans had our DS out in the pyram with a hot water bottle wrapped up in a blanket beside him even when it snowed. I made the mistake of putting a marathon nappy on our open fire and set the chimney on fire . I used up all our baby clothes on the foster babies we had in the early 70s . We got them straight from hospital at a week old and my DD was still in nappies herself . We coped fine with three under 4s and a dog .My mother thought I was mad.At this time even nice " middle class " girls found it difficult to keep their babies if they were unmarried . Only one we had went back to his mum but the others got lovely new homes .My daughter when annoyed with me used to tell me sh was going back to her own mummy. I had to tell that though it was I was her own mummy.Happy days how I wish I was back then broken nights and all .

I've loved reading all these posts, so many things I'd forgotten about, mind you I can still remember the pong of a bucketfull of nappies soaking in Napisan! Mine were born between 1970-82 and lots changed in that time. On occasion I even used new fangled, but pretty useless, disposable nappies for my youngest. My daughters all heave at the thought of dealing with nappies in the "old days"

This was in the 80s, not the 60s, have just remembered the thread is about the 60s
I was in the hospital, they had all gone off for lunch despite me saying I thought she was on her way! The midwife thought I was making a fuss and left.

My eldest was 45 minutes in arriving. I just made it to the hospital, with the ambulance man telling me he didn't know why I was making that much noise as it had only just started. He told my husband he did not know why he was coming as I would still be like that that night. However, my husband worked at a business next to the maternity hospital then, so it was no problem.
That was in 1967, and I was only in hospital for two nights, the one he was born and the one after that.