Call the Midwife

Judthepud2- agree that the situation in NI is really wrong- but... you just can't compare the then an now. Mistakes can always happen- but they should be really rare now as all young women and men have access to sexual education and effective contraception. Abortion should nowdays be very very rare- unlike the days pictured in 'Call the Midwife'.

I am pro abortion and pro choice- but cannot fathom why, nowadays, so many are still performed. Why oh why? A burst condom is a rare occurence- and all women know about having to take the pill regularly, and use another method if some have been missed or in the case of D&V, etc.

The lesbian relationship is also very interesting in the way these things were not accepted at the time. The redhead has a convincing manner without needing to be smutty. I'm wondering how the storyline will develop once the nuns find out.

Unfortunately there were too many girls who went through similar experiences before the legalisation of abortion as the teacher.

BUT it still happens here in NI where abortion under ANY circumstance is illegal still. There was a shocking case highlighted recently of a woman who was told after her scan that her baby had anencephaly and the baby would not survive the birth. Despite this, she was not allowed an abortion in this situation. She travelled to England and had an abortion privately.

I love it. The nuns remind me very much of the ones at the convent I went to in the 1950's, and the midwives of girls I was at school with. That poor schoolmistress! I remember a friend ' having' to get married and the general disaproval that eminated from even my liberal minded parents! The poor lady who was the carrier of Typhoid. As opposed to that, there was the comradeship of a closely knit family, and neighbours. Would the highrise flat afford the same, or would loneliness rear it's head?!

I love it too, but sometimes i think that the birth scenes have been needlessly graffic. It does not bother me, but one of my sisters was put off having children by hearing neighbours recounting their experiences, and as the program is on at 8pm, I wonder how many young girls might be scared of having a baby as a result of watching it.

My favorite character at the moment is the older midwife who met the gentleman at French last week. I hope we see more of that story.

The abortion law didn't come into force until 1967 . I so remember hearing - she got herself pregnant. He HAD to marry her. She caught him. A school friend was pregnant in 1962, she was only allowed out if the house after dark accompanied by her mother, friends were not allowed to call, she left the town to have her baby came back a few weeks later , no baby with her,

When I was at Primary School (1951-1958) one of our teachers had 2 babies, 2 years apart, both during the long summer holidays. She did not live in the village and although her colleagues must have been aware of this they just turned a blind eye. My mother knew the teacher and whole story, having been at the Academy with her, but did not tell us until we were grown up.

It was last week's episode, the one with the woman with bleeding nipples which really resonated with me. I had the same problem in 1970 but was encouraged to persevere with nipple shields and eventually fed DD1 myself for 4 months, when she was weaned onto solids and a sippy cup to my great relief - early weaning was recommended in 1970.

I worked as a SW in a maternity hospital as my first job in the early 70s. The stigma of unmarried pregnant girls was alive and well even then. I was involved in giving advice about adoption to many girls - it was not the norm to keep the baby then. There were plenty of healthy babies available to adopt then too - couples wanted and got a healthy white (sorry, but it's true) baby, whereas now the children available for adoption are older, of many different races and usually with many problems; or groups of siblings. The whole scenario has changed completely now that most women keep their babies.

The Asian and some of the West Indian pregnant girls were in an even more difficult situation as their families often reacted in violent ways as pre-marital sex was such a huge taboo in their communities. I was involved in hiding several girls in mother and baby homes in a different part of the country because they feared for their lives.

How good it is that we are more tolerant now.

How times have changed, with many parents now not married and single women opting to have children on their own. Thank goodness, is all I can say. You just can't believe how it was back then and the frightening for me is, it's not long ago.

Does anyone remember the film Alfie with Michael Caine? I thought it was a similar time to the latest episode but in fact it was 1966, so 5 years on and not much had changed re an unwanted pregnancy.

Even 10 years made such a difference. At the start of the 70s society was becoming more understanding.
The lover was such a rat to just abandon the teacher like that.
I know my mother dreaded a pregnant daughter in the 60s. She didn't cope too well with me living with Mr LD before we got married and the fact that he was getting a divorce.......despite the fact she adored him. She was born in 1911. Victorian ideas stayed with us for so long.

I was seven in 1961, so no actual memories of how things were for these unfortunate women. I'm horrified though after watching last night, just how they were treated.

loved it too, the compassion from some, the humility- and also found the sheer cruelty of the era so tragic. I could have punched that Head Mistress with my own bare hands.

And the racist neighbour too.

Many of us grans will remember this era well. I was about 16 when my mother said "if you get pregnant your father will throw you out of the house."

This was actually nonsense because I didn't really have a boyfriend and my dad was a gentle soul but her comment reflects the fear at the time of getting pregnant "out of wedlock."

As late as 1970 when I was seven months pregnant and still working in an office, someone said they felt very sorry for my predicament thinking I wasn't married.

Yes, I love the programme and have read all the associated books. I love the snapshots of social history and even though there are indeed some 'twee' elements, the storylines are often thought-provoking and sometimes hard hitting. I often find myself thinking about the programme in the days after and yesterday's will be no exception.

I love Call the Midwife. It certainly does away with any temptation to view the "old days" through rose tinted glasses.

The nurses and nuns in those days, though, seemed extremely humane and caring. I hope it really was like that - it would go some way to make up for the other horrible behaviour and attitudes of some of the other people.

They're only weeds when they're in the wrong place!
(which is in Fred's veg patch!!)

I do like the dotty nun planting dandelions!

It was really sad tonight, regarding the young teacher. What a terrible way women have been treated and it seems like it wasn't that long ago! Thank goodness things have changed.

I watched it too - it's one of my favourite programmes at the moment. Yes I know it's very predictable, rather twee and so on, but it's such comfort viewing. It has such a wonderful mix of disparate characters and they all come across as so believable. And though there is so much sadness, generally there is a sense of resolution or at least a belief that things will work out all right in the end.

Yes I did. I love it. So interesting for social history of the time. I felt so sorry for that pooor teacher tonight.How different things are today. A friend's DD was able to keep her job as Head of Department right up until she gave birth despite the fact she is unmarried.