Do you remember pre childbirth enemas?

I can never forget mine! Shave, enema then bath said the nurse when you’ve finished on the toilet. Trouble was I thought 1 was and wasn’t, found myself swimming in diarrhoea. Scrambled out and tried desperately to get it all down the plug hole before she came back. Not easy when you’re the size of a bus, however, we both survived.

High hot and a hell of a lot

And a hell of a lot! I was a midwife in the 70s and realised how cruel they were when I had my own babies.

I had an enema with my first but not my other three. Also a shave and then lie on your back until the baby comes. No wonder it took so long to push them out!!

As a retired midwife I remember them well, we graduated to the pre prepared enemas and the, thankfully, they were abolished alongside the ‘underneath’ shave. Both procedures proved medically irrelevant

1979 - Shave & enema (definitely not a suppository!)
1981 - just shave
1986 - nothing!

I remember it being called the 3 Hs.

And an older friend has talked about being give the OBE - (castor) Oil, Bath, Enema!

Had enemas and shaves for all four. Worst was the last one, enema just administered when the hospital fire alarm went off! I refused point blank to move, so midwife had to stay with me whilst everyone else evacuated. I knew it would be the usual burnt toast under rhe smoke alarm, and so it proved to be...

I remember it well, especially as I’ve always had IBS! When I had my twins in 1979 it was shave and enema. Subsequently when I had two more boys in 1990 and 1993 they had stopped that business thank goodness. Although with child number 3 I had an epidural and the midwife asked me how long I’d had diahorrea for!

My first was in 1965. 24 hours start to finish and she weighed 9 lb 2 oz. No pain relief, but a ten day stay in hospital afterward.

When I had my daughter 40 years ago it was tube in your anus a funnel and warm soapy water. And told to stay in the bathroom. Remember it was very quick to work but having diarrhoea and contractions was not any fun. Not to mention the smell.

Four years later was supposed to be an elective c section. But went into labour at home at 36.5 weeks but had diarrhoea. When I got to hospital lucky I was empty so no enema.

Had emergency c section with both children . But 2 days after each one and hadn't been to the loo. With my daughter it was a suppository which worked quickly good job it was done in the bathroom. With my son it was a bag of saline via tube again acted quickly.

When you have a child there is no dignity. So nothing has ever phased me since. As there's not a part of my body that hasn't been probed.

The joy of being a woman🤣

All of my three were such quick births so no time for shave or enema thank goodness.

I didn't know they did that.
My was in first 1988 obviously a thing in the past by then.

Sparklefizz

I had a shave and enema for my 1st baby, born 1974 but neither for my 2nd child, born 1977. I thought this was because he was coming very quickly, but maybe it was just that procedures had changed.

I'm not sure if it was a good thing not to have the enema because I then pooed during labour which can't have been at all hygienic and I was highly embarrassed.

My friend told the very nippy wee midwife that she needed to move her bowels, but was told not to fuss, it was just baby pushing on her innards, and to get on with pushing, so she did.

It wasn’t.

I had a shave and enema for my 1st baby, born 1974 but neither for my 2nd child, born 1977. I thought this was because he was coming very quickly, but maybe it was just that procedures had changed.

I'm not sure if it was a good thing not to have the enema because I then pooed during labour which can't have been at all hygienic and I was highly embarrassed.

Yes, I had one of these when my elder child was born. I remember being very surprised. But I don't think I did for my second child.

I had them for 2 of mine., 1 st and 3 rd. My last one arrived too quickly for them to bother, they just wheeled me into the labour ward. I think it was just to make it less messy for the nurses, frankly.

It was High Hot and Horrible!

I wasn't given an enema with either of mine - one at Queen Charlottes in London and the other in the Netherlands. I think I was fortunate by the sound of things.

BlueBelle

Yes I had enemas but never heard of the 3 H s

Common saying amongst staff. Called black humour.

I remember having to drink castor oil. You could have orange juice with it, which floated on the top and did nothing to take the taste away.

1976 - I remember it well !!!

I had enemas with both mine. My second baby was born at home and the midwife wanted to deliver her in the sitting room. She wouldn't allow me to use the loo upstairs so I had to sit on a bucket in the sitting room stinking the place out.
In the middle of all this her son arrived at the door and she let him into the living room. I have never felt so embarrassed and humiliated. Thank god enemas have been done away with.

I think I was given a suppository before DD was born. It had very little effect. I remember having several more during my week's stay in hospital because you couldn't go home if you hadn't had your bowels open. Why didn't I just lie/

When I worked as a nursing auxiliary in Glasgow Royal Maternity hospital during student vacations in 1969 and 1971 the mantra was “OBE” - oil (castor oil), bath (as hot a possible) and enema (old-fashioned way, via what seemed like a mile of rubber tubing). In spite of seeing the results of that, I still had children! I had an enema with DD1 in 1975 and it was misery - up until then I’d been coping fairly well using my relaxation breathing. With DD3 I decided to use a suppository at home to avoid an enema and having been to the loo I thought I was ok to get DH to drive me to the hospital 10 miles away. By the time we got to the outskirts of town I was in urgent need of the loo. In desperation I begged DH not to stop for anything and he risked going through a red traffic light (it was about 2am) for the first and, so far as I know, only time in his life. I just made it to the ground floor public loos. The midwife, looking out from the first floor, noted my arrival 😂

1972, 1984, 1986. Never had an enema. Was shaved in 1972 - awful experience as it grew back.