The first time I encountered this practice was when I came to New
Zealand. I do not remember anyone doing this when I worked in Scotland.
I have worked with a few GPs in the not so distant past that made a
habit of doing this to 'control' the birth of the head. I have always
thought it is quite horrendous.
Carolyn
-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for discussion on midwifery and reproductive health
research. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
Stojanovic, Jane
Sent: Thursday, 14 February 2008 11:54 a.m.
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Fwd: birth in 1949
I remember being taught to 'chin' as a student nurse in the early 1960s
in Wellington (NZ) I'd forgotten that until you mentioned it, Joan. I
believe I experienced it with my first baby in 1966. Not nice! It was
still being done by some GPs in the 1970s basically the hand was pushed
under the baby's chin in the woman's anal area and pressure was applied
to aid in extending the head once the head was crowning.
My Master's thesis was on maternity in the 1950s and '60s and the older
midwives I interviewed remembered both ether and chloroform being used
in the early 1950s for second stage although 'chloroform was on its way
out' - ? due to potential liver damage. Omnopn and scopolamine or
Morphine and scopolamine and also 'nembutal' which I think may have been
a barbiturate? were used for twilight sleep - (which my mother also had
for her first baby) but even without twilight sleep inhalational
anaesthesia using the Murphy's mask and then the Nitrous oxide and air
(later replaced with Oxygen) were commonly used in 2nd stage. - Jane
Stojanovic
-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for discussion on midwifery and reproductive
health research. on behalf of Joan Skinner
Sent: Wed 13/02/2008 3:01 p.m.
To: [log in to unmask]
Cc:
Subject: Re: Fwd: birth in 1949
Well do any of you remember the process of 'chinning' I used to
work
with a couple of old GPs who had worked in the days of the mask
on the
face and who liked to 'chin' the baby. They said it protected
the
perineum!! This was also how they got the baby out when the
woman was
unconscious. Joan Skinner.
-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for discussion on midwifery and reproductive
health
research. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of
Marilyn Foureur
Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 2:43 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Fwd: birth in 1949
Dear Megan
I was born in South Australia in 1948 and my mother similarly
has no
memory of my actual birth- a mask was placed over her face and
drops of
some substance put onto it and she became unconscious waking
sometime
later to be told she had a baby girl. No forceps were used that
she was
aware of and there were no marks on my face or head suggesting
forceps
were used - physiologically speaking the fetal ejection reflex
that is
initiated when the head is low enough, should be powerful enough
to
expel the baby and the placenta without the extra pushing effort
of the
mother.
regards Maralyn
Martha Livingston wrote:
> Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2008 16:06:21 -0500
> To: Megan Heatherington <[log in to unmask]>
> From: Martha Livingston <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: birth in 1949
> Cc:
> Bcc:
> X-Attachments:
> I'm not at all sure chloroform was still being used in 1949,
but it
> could well have been 'twilight sleep,' too: scopolamine
(sometimes
> known as 'truth serum,') so that your mom has no recollection
of the
> birth but was not actually anesthetized and likely behaved in
a manner
> she would not have been pleased to hear about later on. Very
popular
> in my country starting in the nineteen-teens, and actually
still in
> use here at least into the 1970s in some parts. But devised
in Europe
> by a doc who begged the medical establishment in 1936 to stop
using
> it, as he thought by then that he had created a monster.
>
> Peace,
>
> Martha
>
>
> My mother has no recollection of the birth of her first
daughter - in
> 1949 - all she could remember was that once the contractions
became
> intense she was asked to inhale presumably chloroform. She
woke some
> time later to be told she had given birth to a girl, and she
could see
> her later once everyone was cleaned up! She is certain that
forceps
> were not used.
>
> I often try to calm women who become very anxious during the
second
> stage by encouraging them that their body will do the work for
them.
> When they are fearful that pushing is too painful and they
begin to
> resist the sensation I work with them to breathe/blow the pain
away
> instead. Inevitably their body takes over and births the baby.
>
> Perhaps there is historical information available, with the
common use
> of ether and chloroform?
>
> Regards,
> Megan Heatherington.
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Hunter, Billie <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 4:29 AM
>
> Dear list members
>
> I have had the following query from a friend who is a trainee
> antenatal teacher:
>
> Could you point me in the direction of evidence regarding the
uterus'
> ability to expel the baby without the mother pushing at all (
e.g. if
> the woman was unconscious)?
>
> This is not really my field - can anyone else suggest any
relevant
> sources of information?
>
> many thanks
> Billie
>
> Billie Hunter
> Professor of Midwifery
> Institute for Health Research
> School of Health Science
> Floor 2 Vivian Tower
> Swansea University
> Swansea SA2 8PP
>
> Phone: + 44 (0)1792 518584
> Fax: +44 (0) 1792 295487
>
>
> --
>
> Martha Livingston, Ph.D.
> Associate Professor of Health and Society
> SUNY College at Old Westbury
> Box 210
> Old Westbury, New York 11568-0210
> (516) 876-2748
>
>
> --
>
> Martha Livingston, Ph.D.
> Associate Professor of Health and Society
> SUNY College at Old Westbury
> Box 210
> Old Westbury, New York 11568-0210
> (516) 876-2748
--
Professor Maralyn Foureur
Professor of Midwifery
Centre for Midwifery, Child and Family Health, Faculty of
Nursing,
Midwifery & Health
University of Technology, Sydney
T: 9514 4834
F: 9514 4835
M: 0448 448 735
A: PO Box 123, Broadway NSW 2007
www.nmh.uts.edu.au
--
UTS CRICOS Provider Code: 00099F
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