Did you have babies in the 60's?

Very much so! Mine were born in 1963, 1965, 1967, 1969 and 1971. I went to the maternity unit at Birch Hill, Littleborough, near Rochdale for the birth of my first baby. It was my first ever stay in hospital, I was scared, but the maternity unit was really lovely. I`d pictured the long wards that I`d seen in films, but there were only 3 beds in my room, no room had more than 4 beds, and like has been said, the babies were taken away to the nursery at night, so you got a good sleep. I went home after 7 days, a mistake on their part, I should have been in longer, I am amazed at how soon new mothers and babies go home nowadays. My second baby was also born there, about 3 weeks early, and I developed an infection, so was moved into a room on my own in the private wing, which seemed a bit silly, seeing as the baby was still taken to the nursery at night and brought to me in the morning. I was in the hospital because we had an outside toilet and no bathroom, but was only supposed to be in for 2 days, ended up there for 10.
By the time baby 3 came along, we`d moved to a brand new house, so I was going to have her at home, but a week before she was due, they decided that I was too anaemic and had to go into hospital for a blood transfusion before the birth. I still haven`t had it! This time it was the Fairfield hospital, in Bury, and my worst fears came true there, it was a long, long ward, and the babies cots were all down the middle of the ward. The facilities and the staff were nowhere near as nice as Birch Hill, and I was glad to go home after 2 days.
Baby 4 was to be born at home, but again they decided I was too anaemic and should go into hospital, but this time I stuck to my guns and insisted on a home birth, for which I had to sign a form absolving them if anything went wrong. When I went into labour, I went to the shop round the corner to ring the midwife, but first I rang hubby to give him time to get home, he made it about 5 minutes before our first son was born, and everything went just fine, much better than in hospital. The same with baby 5 in 1971. After that, I decided that with 5 children under 8, and being only 28, that enough was enough, and against my GP`s wishes, I applied to be sterilised, that happened in early 1973.
Sorry if this has been too much of a ramble on. I haven`t talked about clothes and nappies, because it wouldn`t have been any different to the OP.

I had my first two sons in 1970 and 1971 and everything was exactly as described above.

I loved the bossy midwifes, the routine and the meetings of mums in the Day Room when we were often joined by midwifes on their breaks. We were told never to feed our babies on demand, and fathers weren't really encouraged to be present at the birth. It was all quite regimented but I loved it.

There were strict visiting hours and a day when only fathers were allowed!!We were encouraged to walk about but also to rest on our beds. Laundry was always available and there was a big room full of cot sheets and nappies.

When you went home (I spent 10 days in hospital with my first son which was the normal stay for first time mums) the Health Visitor called.

She wore a grey uniform with a little hat. She always called without telling you and when you saw her car draw up outside, there was a lot of frantic tidying up.

With my third son born in 1977 things were beginning to change. Demand feeding was almost encouraged, there was talk of water births and I could tell that change was on its way.

I'm so glad I had my babies when I did. The Health Visitors now wear everyday clothes, the prams and pushchairs are huge and so heavy. The bottle sterlizers are an improvement on Milton Solution and disposable nappies are great!! but I preferred the good old days.

Times change and my mum thought everything was very modern and strange when my babies were born.

I had my first in 1965 in hospital as I had "complications" , she was born in less than 4 hours so never found out what they were!! They wanted me to transfer to a local nursing home after 2 days but I knew the local midwife so I insisted on going home and she agreed . Hospital was not a good experience I heard one woman told she was a "mardy bitch". The washing was endless and I bought a Baby Burko to boil the nappies in. Plastic pants were very frowned on and if used would go hard and brittle. Next one born at home in1970, lovely experience, lovely midwife but still terry nappies Milton for bottles and the same endless washing. Would still have liked a third one though. Just remembered ,I loved my coach built pram with spotless white bedding, not like today when all you see is a baby scrunched up in a transporter usual in navy.

It all sounds very familiar even though two of mine were born in the 1970s.
I did have a twintub washing machine (what a luxury).
Hospital for No. 1 was not a good experience but the maternity home for No. 2 was lovely - 8 days of r and r.
And nappy liners had been introduced to catch the poo - you could throw them away so they were probably an ecological disaster.

By the 1980s things had progressed somewhat!

My first was born in 1972 but shock/horror I wasn't married!

I was segregated from the other married mums on the ward. I was put in my own private room with a bidet! I'd never experienced one before & I loved it, so soothing, so I didn't really mind.

One Nurse in particular though was very harsh & disapproving & said nasty things.

How times change.

1969 and 1970 . The first stayed in the cottage hospital for ten days, husbands only allowed to visit in the evening . Fantastic midwife who told me -' if you have bought baby books remember the baby hasn't read them' and she was in favour of feeding on demand -' the baby hasn't learned to tell the time.' Babies with us all day but in the nursery at night

Second in a different town so not same hospital, only allowed to stay in 36 hours , only allowed to see the baby at feeding time

Hmm. I had my first in 1968. Definitely had a changing mat from the word go. Got it from Mothercare. And, amongst the leaving pressies from the girls in the office there was a white Babygro. (Were you a little behind the times Indinana? ) I used little vests with ribbon ties at the front. Soon ditched those and got envelope neck ones. The plastic pants were fine and were (originally) infused with a nice perfume. Very soon the poppered ones came onto the market, which were an improvement.

I used washable nappy liners, also from Mothercare, and used an old knife to scrape the poo into the lav before the thing went in the Napisan bucket. My nightmare was that knife getting amongst the everyday ones by mistake!!!

I stayed a week in a local maternity home and our room was ruled over by an old witch of a Sister. Thankfully the next one was born at home.

Yes, I liked the bidet posie.

Surely they only put you in a room on your own so that you didn't get upset when the dads visited?! Things had changed vastly by the sixties hadn't they?

1971 - one of our Mum's in a ward of 5 was unmarried. She had the most beautiful girl. The babies mother spent the whole time holding and rocking her. We were in for a week I think, on the day before we were due home someone came and took her baby for adoption. She and we spent the next 2 days crying. It was barbaric.

Baby's !!!!!!

Mine DS were born in 1970 and 1974 but we had babygros, like you, jingl with the first as well as nighties. The hospital where both were born only had private rooms and the baby stayed all the time. Terry nappies, two kinds of liners and a twin tub washing machine. I did try disposable nappies on holiday once, with DS1 - absolute nightmare as they weren't shaped at all and never seemed to catch the poo!

My first two were born in the 80s ( I was a 60s baby!) and they were still in a carrycot loose on the back seat of the car then. DD1 had a seat for the top of the pram, no double buggy! Disposables and wipes were available but were nowhere near as good as todays. Hospital stays were getting shorter but still 48 hours plus.

I have pictures of me sitting up in my Silver Cross with reins, parked in the front garden or left outside a shop!!

I did try disposable nappies on holiday once, with DS1 - absolute nightmare as they weren't shaped at all and never seemed to catch the poo!

They were like very large sanitary towels, and you were supposed to use them with special rubberized pants which tied at the sides.
I remember thinking they would be a good idea to take camping, Lilygran, and only took half a dozen terry nappies for night-time!
Unfortunately, they caught neither the wee nor the poo and I spent a lot of the holiday washing and drying the terry nappies.

Oh I think I'm older than most of you - 71 years! Pittcity you've just made me remember something else (your mention of sitting up in your Silver Cross with reins....) In the 60s and early 70s (had my 2nd in 73) babies were put outside to sleep in their pram, even in winter, so long as they were well wrapped up. And YES we left them outside shops in their pram when we went inside and outside Woolworths/Boots there would be a long line of prams with babies in them! Incredible, but I never heard of any kidnapping or babies coming to any harm.

Posy I was an "unmarried mother" in 1967 - a real scandal in those days. Thankfully I had wonderful caring parents who never reproached me and welcomed me home with my son. So many girls who were in that position had to give their babies up for adoption. The witch of a sister who ran the maternity home was called Sister Dick (!) and she was horrid to me and when I said the pain was bad she said "you should have thought of that before you committed the sin of fornication!"

Jinglbells a changing mat and babygro in 1968? I don't remember there being a Mothercare either where I lived. Don't think I was behind the times as "Angel tops" became fashionable and I bought one for my son when he was about 8 weeks, in a print, and I remember my auntie saying to my son in jest "you've got a funny mother....." Oh yes I remember the little vests with front ties now you mention them. I used those nappy liners too - weren't they called "marathon" or something like that. Did you have a mouli-baby, a sort of grinder to make the food smooth?

But by 1973 with baby No 2 I had a twin tub like some of you - oh the joy! And babygros, and disposables were just coming on the market but I was still using Terrys.

My god numberplease 5 children under 8 at aged 28!!

Oh I think I'm older than most of you - 71 years! Pittcity you've just made me remember something else (your mention of sitting up in your Silver Cross with reins....) In the 60s and early 70s (had my 2nd in 73) babies were put outside to sleep in their pram, even in winter, so long as they were well wrapped up. And YES we left babies in prams outside shops when we went in. Outside Woolworths/Boots there would be long lines of prams with babies but I never heard of any kidnapping or babies coming to any harm.

No, not much nananina
I was an 'elderly primagravida'
And now I am an 'old granny'

Sorry got a bit mixed up there, on account of my age!

My first little one born 1971 and I remember having the lovely little nightdresses with embroidery on the front. I still feel they were better than babygros letting baby kick their legs free. Made a couple for first Grandchild and daughter loved them. The lovely thick orange juice and Iodine baths. Very strict Sister on the ward told my husband 'Hands out of the cot please'

I had my first in 1969 in a Maternity hospital for 10days and when I went in by ambulance had to have the compulsory enema YUK!! and bath or shower. Then much the same experience as everyone else, we weren't allowed to carry the baby to the car on discharge the nurse in charge of the ward carried her instructed me into the back of our car then handed me the baby, no seat belts or baby seats of course. Same procedure for my other 2 in 73 and 76.
Things certainly have changed nowadays

I've got three years on you nananina. Yes. Def changing mat and baby gri in '68. Courtesy of the brand spanking new Mothercare shop in our town.

Gro. Not gri

Sorry I used the wrong user name in my previous post. That'll be my advanced age.

Ooh yes, the enema. Made sense though. I didn't have one when I had DS and DH says there was a bit of a mess.....

I had our first baby in 1963, and the second in 1966. Because I was under 30 , and fit and healthy I had to give birth at home. The midwife was a bit of a tartar, and a smoker, no Health and Safety rules crossed our doorway. Our dear next door neighbours wouldn't go out until they knew my son had safely arrived, and the Dr had come to stitch me up ?? When our daughter was born, I felt unwell and think I had a fluey cold. DH and midwife retired to the dining room to listen to classical music, while I " got on with it", and she was born to one of Brahm's violin concertos. Bless her, when she arrived, she slept for over 12 hours and so I got a rest. I don't remember having a changing mat as such, just a towel to pad out the top of a small cabinet that housed all the gubbins needed for a baby. I used terry nappies and muslin liners, with those awful plastic pants that went hard around the legs. My washing machine was a gas boiler affair with a paddle agitator on the lid. It did a lovely boil and the whites were snowy. Emptying it was a bit of a palaver, as you had to have a bucket under the tap and keep on filling the bucket until the water was all gone. One day I got distracted and the water ended up all over the kitchen floor and made it's way into the dining room. It all got mopped up with the weeks dirty washing!! My pram was second hand from my DSIL. It was a grey coach built Marmet? and we had a new hood and apron made for it. It was lovely to push and had loads of room for baby, toddler and shopping. Babies were put outside to sleep whatever the weather really, and the trees and birds lulled them to sleep. I remember the Cherub vests and pretty warm, embroidered nighties that tied around their waists. Babies were left safely in their prams outside shops, and slept all the way home, only popping open their eyes as soon as we reached home and I was looking forward to a cup of tea. We had a carry cot that had wheels, which we used for transport, and the carry cot was put on the back seat of a car, not ours, no straps etc. we also had a very heavy Silver Cross push chair that did fold down a bit, so you could take it on a bus, but it was so heavy and bulky. I just remember that it was a struggle to get baby, toddler and push chair onto the bus, that I envy the umbrella strollers that came along much later. Third baby came along in 1975, and as I was an older Mum, I had him in hospital, and although I had two others, because there was such a gap, he felt like an only child , being bossed around by his siblings. But he grew up to talk a good fight ??