Baby Nursing Windows, five-minute breastfeeds and super clean bed linen that NO ONE can touch.
These are only a few of the crazy post-birth hospital rules from 1968.
Ahh, the 60s. Where there was no such thing as social media, where babies were exposed to second-hand smoke constantly and where car seat safety wasn’t even a thing yet. Yep, things were A LOT different back then and these post-birth hospital instructions certainly vouch for this.
Back in the 60s there were no itty bitty baby cots next to your bed that you would wheel with you, even to the loo, but there were time limits on breastfeeding and a no-chocolate rule. And don’t even think about touching the sacred bed linen…
Hospital instructions for mothers
Shared on social media by Micala Gabrielle Henson, the 1968 instruction guide is as old school as they come. As Micale writes, “My mom was going through her things and we saw this. It’s the rules in regards to just having a baby. How things have changed! Thank goodness things have changed, I can’t imagine! Feel free to share!”
More help, less coconut cake
Below are just a few of the interesting hospital rules from 1968.
Don’t ask to see your baby – Babies are on display at the Nursing Window from 2.30pm to 3.30 pm and 7.00pm to 7.45pm. Please do not ask to see baby at any other time. So, in other words – rest mum, you just had a baby, and our nurses will take care of the rest, for now. Oh, if you insist…
Don’t feed your baby for more than five minutes  – This goes up to 7 minutes on day two and three. Any longer and your nipples will get sore. A breastfeeding world WITHOUT sore nipples? Count me in!
Don’t eat chocolate candy – Other items off-limits include raw apple, cabbage, nuts, strawberries, cherries, onions or green coconut cake. No mention of other coloured cakes. Smoking seems to be allowed, just not when the baby is in the room.
Get off my bed – No visitors are allowed to sit on your bed. Bed linen is for you and baby only.
Get the bottle off the bed too – If bottle feeding, it is also very important to ensure the nipple also doesn’t touch the bed linen. This may be the most sacred bed linen in the history of ever.
We’re not sure whether this is better or worse than our current post-birth hospital stay system. Maybe a bit of both. The extra-help would be a godsend but it would be weird to watch your baby through a viewing window.
And I don’t even hate the idea of not having visitors in while trying to breastfeed. After all, it’s hard enough to get the hang of it without relatives watching!
But the no chocolate? No thanks.
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