There is an interesting set of pages up on the BBC at the moment, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the NCT, reflecting on the way child birth has changed over the period. The pieces reflect on the changing options available to women and also the changing role of the father in childbirth.
The article focuses on the birth eperiences of three generations of a family. Interestingly there are also figures about the changing locations of birth, showing that the rate of home birth has dropped from 33.4% in 1955, to 4.1% by 1974 and 2.3% by 2004. I have commented to friends recently that although we seem unusual in having chosen a home birth, it seems strange that it is treated as such as odd thing to do by the medical community, when for hundreds of years it was what everyone did!!! Turns out that the big change came in 1970 with the issue of a report on "Domiciliary midwifery and maternity bed needs", commonly known as the Peel Report which recommended that women should give birth in hospital.
There are also come interesting stories posted by users, varying from the sublime to the ridiculous (I'll leave it up to you to decide which is which).
The article focuses on the birth eperiences of three generations of a family. Interestingly there are also figures about the changing locations of birth, showing that the rate of home birth has dropped from 33.4% in 1955, to 4.1% by 1974 and 2.3% by 2004. I have commented to friends recently that although we seem unusual in having chosen a home birth, it seems strange that it is treated as such as odd thing to do by the medical community, when for hundreds of years it was what everyone did!!! Turns out that the big change came in 1970 with the issue of a report on "Domiciliary midwifery and maternity bed needs", commonly known as the Peel Report which recommended that women should give birth in hospital.
There are also come interesting stories posted by users, varying from the sublime to the ridiculous (I'll leave it up to you to decide which is which).
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