 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Arthritis / July 2006way OTP: question for a book
okay, my question this time around is: how is pregnancy, labor and delivery different now from 20 years ago? in my story, i'm dealing with a pregnant 21 year old and her mother. i want the mother to be giving her advice, telling her what pregnancy was like for her, etc, and the daughter to be saying something like "you were pregnant in the dark ages. it's different now." any ideas? i already have the daughter getting belly photographs and making a plaster cast of her belly. geesh. diane www.dianechamberlain.com > okay, my question this time around is: how is pregnancy, labor and > delivery different now from 20 years ago? in my story, i'm dealing with [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > diane > www.dianechamberlain.com Hhhhm, Sometimes it is about them wanting to listen or not and not what we know. Just be there if you are needed with a good attitude and hope for the best. Harv How about the 3D imaging ultrasound that wasn't even available just 11 years ago, when I had Rachel? My only pregnancy falls in the middle of your timeline, so I won't be much help. Maybe we can get Amy to come back for this one.:) Kelly C. > okay, my question this time around is: how is pregnancy, labor and > delivery different now from 20 years ago? in my story, i'm dealing with [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > diane > www.dianechamberlain.com > okay, my question this time around is: how is pregnancy, labor and > delivery different now from 20 years ago? in my story, i'm dealing with [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > diane > www.dianechamberlain.com currently: nuchal fold imaging prior to amniocentesis for screening of downs syndrome, people going to shopping malls to get three dimensional ultrasound videos of their developing foetus, a resurgence in home births, etc 20 years ago: not so much different, maybe a bit less focus on prenatal care and a bit more fear as the thalidomide problems were still pretty fresh...wait...no...just as much fear today: people know more about potential risks and consequences so they probably feel more like they're walking in a mine field than 20 years ago. Now 40 or 50 years ago, then you can dredge up some quite unpleasant stuff. Regards, Ari  Signaturespammage trappage: remove the underscores to reply I'm going to die rather sooner than I'd like. I tried to protect my neighbours from crime, and became the victim of it. Complications in hospital following this resulted in a serious illness. I now need a bone marrow transplant. Many people around the world are waiting for a marrow transplant, too. Please volunteer to be a marrow donor: http://www.abmdr.org.au/ http://www.marrow.org/ > okay, my question this time around is: how is pregnancy, labor and > delivery different now from 20 years ago? in my story, i'm dealing with [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > diane > www.dianechamberlain.com Belly photographs were around 21 years ago. I have one of my sister when she was pregnant with my niece. And my niece just turned 24 :-) Demi Moore did her Rolling Stone cover in 1995. They had just started having birthing rooms when my sister was pregnant. I think they are more prevalent now. Carole > okay, my question this time around is: Well my oldest granddaughter Mylynda was born Feb.,01,86 & my youngest granddaughter Rebecca was born Mar.,29,06, so from a grand parents POV there aren't a lot of differences. ;-) > how is pregnancy, 1986, no ultra sound images, no testing for spina bifida & a dozen other birth defects. No digital cameras to record the changes in mommies body. ;-) 2006, better prenatal care & vitamins. > labor and delivery Both Mylynda & Rebecca were born in the same hospital & the only difference was the changes in the hospital building. For the mothers & attending family the labor & delivery was basically the same. 1986 & 2006 father/partner or maternal mother/ or one family member was allowed in the birthing room during labor and delivery. 2006 digital cameras were allowed in the birthing room in 1986 only one photo was allowed. This is probably different in different hospitals. The major difference I noticed was the lock down security in the maternity section of the hospital. > different now from 20 years ago? > in my story, i'm dealing with a pregnant 21 year old and her > mother. i want the mother to be giving her advice, telling her what [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > any ideas? You could have the mother telling her daughter that the biology is the same now as it was 20 years ago & 2,000 years ago, only the technology & life styles have changed. > i already have the daughter getting belly photographs > and making a plaster cast of her belly. geesh. An example of the technological changes. http://livedigital.com/content/151408/ > diane www.dianechamberlain.com GramPaHugs, Alex, SignatureAny information is included for informational or entertainment purposes only, is based on my personal experiences & is an expression of my opinion. **************************************************** * Love radiating from 45.10n x 93.30w M/SP Mn * http://home.mn.rr.com/apbiii * http://grampahugs.is-a-geek.org/ * http://www.goldenmist.org **************************************************** oh alex, what a perfectly beautiful baby! thanks for sharing. diane >okay, my question this time around is: how is pregnancy, labor and >delivery different now from 20 years ago? in my story, i'm dealing with [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >diane >www.dianechamberlain.com I had my first baby in 1983, which turned out to be a c-section. The second in 1986 was automatically scheduled as a c-section. I think today they wouldn't have "scheduled" the second that way. During pregnancy i was given medication for morning sickness. It was later removed from use due to birth defects. I don't know if today meds are so readily given for this. I had my boys in 1980 (twins) c section. But they did do sonograms back then, that is how they found the twins. ;-0 C section then 4 day stay. Did have trouble wanted natural birth and drs were afraid to do that with twins. Good they didn't as one of mine turned. SignatureLove and hugs Jo (\__/) .~ ~. )) /O O ./ .' {O__, \ { / . . ) \ |-| '-' \ } )) Warning: squirrels. .( _( )_.' '---.~_ _ _& How did the dental stuff Sjo???? Harv >I had my boys in 1980 (twins) c section. > But they did do sonograms back then, that is how they found the twins. ;-0 [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Did have trouble wanted natural birth and drs were afraid to do that with > twins. Good they didn't as one of mine turned. > okay, my question this time around is: how is pregnancy, labor and > delivery different now from 20 years ago? in my story, i'm dealing with [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > diane > www.dianechamberlain.com (You learn a lot of things from La Leche League Meetings and playgroups - yeah, I hang with a suburban crunchy granola crowd)) Maternity clothing has gotten seriously cuter!!!! Especially with people like Heidi Klum and Kate Hudson setting the pace. They are stricter about alcohol consumption and medication, even over 10 years ago. And exercising is de rigor, not an aberration. There is more and fancier equipment for new babies (baby shower scene?) including lots of baby proofing stuff, and diaper bags which look like computer bags and messenger satchels so men can carry them without feeling goofy. Baby Einstein junk. Birthing plans. Doulas. Midwives on staff at certain hospitals (my midwife - with Becca- did a more medicalized birth than my family practitioner did when I had Ian). Cloth diapers were very 'in' for a while but no longer. 21 is considered a young mom in some parts of the country. The demographics for having children is shifting to having kids after college for that demographic. Very class skewed (maybe she goes to the doc and realizes she's the youngest mom-to-be there). Depending on how melodramatic the book will be - Surgery on fetuses to correct some major organ issues (heart, bowel...) is new and exciting. Surfactant (medicine for preemie's lungs) was new and not routine. They have discovered that how they used to deliver oxygen to preemies caused blindness and have changed that. Also, if you had a seriously compromised fetus, you could still terminate in the fifth to sixth month in most states. Now with the 'partial birth abortion' controversy and picketing, some states have no one who will risk performing the procedure. (I had friends who chose that route after amnio and sonogram had horrific revelations. They were devastated.) Twenty years ago, VBAC was just being pushed into the forefront as a medical issue. The movement was very strong ten years ago. A recent news blurb said C-sections are on the rise because doctors are hesitant to do vbacs because malpractice premiums have skyrocketed, even for those who have never been sued. It's not, "well, I made a mistake and now have to pay the price." It's "God forbid I make a good decision but it has a bad outcome; I'll never be able to afford insurance and will lose my practice." So the pendulum is swinging back. Hospital stays had gotten shortened to 24 hours for a while until the uproar. Testing for certain abnormalities is more refined. There is prenatal genetic testing beyond just downs, trisomy, etc. Birthing rooms are more the standard than a new 'whiz bang' gimmick. Some hospitals are doing a better job of supporting breastfeeding by ascribing to a WHO (?) protocol. Oh!!!! Many hospitals don't let you videotape the birth anymore. They don't want to create such hard visual evidence if something goes wrong. Despite the home birth and water birth movements, most women still opt for intervention (not always a bad thing). Adelle wow, adelle, that was an amazing bunch of info! it's funny that as i read it, i could think of all kinds of storylines (typical chamberlain gritty stuff) that won't work in this book, because this book is light fare. as a matter of fact, i have no contract for it and my agent doesn't think she can sell it, but i feel compelled to write it and am having fun doing so. i start the REAL book (the one under contract) monday, so i'm racing to see what i can get done on this "play" book before then. by the way, the doc who was the "hero" of my very first book way back in '89 was a pioneer (fictional of course) in fetal surgery. my little 21 year-old out of wedlock character is being guided through this pregnancy by her similarly pregnant 23 year old famous actress stepmother, so there will be lots of "glamour pregnancy" stuff. ultimately, she'll realize she really needs her mommy when push comes to shove (literally), but right now, she's smitten by the fame and fortune her daddy married. thanks, all, for the help! diane one thing that I have noticed is how "out there" people are with their "baby bumps" these days. I believe that this trend comes from Angelina Joli and other actors who are so very proud of their pregnancies even in the early days. When I was in Vancouver recently I passed a mid wife clinic and a young woman came out. Her top was a cut away, so that her breasts and back were covered but her tummy was fully exposed. Not that this is a bad thing, it is just different. Rose @}>->-- Being educated means that rather than fearing the unknown, one seeks to understand it. RB Please remove "Ima" to reply. Let's see--My girls are 26, 24 and 18--There was the big Lamaze natural childbirth thing then--but as I was 34, 36 and 42 with mine--they considered me an elderly mother and wouldn't let me use the very new then birthing room--afraid of complications--which I had none of--there was still more cosseting of new moms then--having rooming in with the baby in the room with you was possible, but the nurses would urge you to let them take the babies to the nursery so you could rest--I was in hospital 3 days for my first and everyone wanted to give me medication though I had no real pain--childbirth was still looked on as a medical issue rather than a normal process--Testing was not so routine then as it is now. For the first--really no testing--just the listening to the babies heartbeat and no one offered any testing which would tell the sex of the baby--when I was 36 and 42, they tested mostly because of Downs and late term abortion was definitely an option (not for me necessarily but talked about in counseling sessions)--all of the testing they do now days routinely was a really big deal and you were advised to death about all the possible complications and encouraged to do minimal testing unless there was a definite reason--such as elderly mother or a genetic problem known in the family--for the first two--no genetic counseling but for the last one, there was....and I had a shorter stay in hospital with her--I remember that I was more aware of nursing my baby and how to than some of the staff when I had the first--they kept wanting to give you formula samples--and they kept wanting to give me meds which I did not want to take during labor....There was still some of the--I know more than you do about how fast this baby is coming--almost had my 18 year old in the hospital lobby as they did not believe that I KNEW I was going to have this baby quick--she came 20 minutes after I got to the hospital!! I think there is more sense of patient involvement now--I had a diaper service--now everyone uses pampers or equivalent it seems--Baby clothes are different too--as are maternity clothes--back then you didn't shout it out to all and sundry right away--it was a family thing--and there were not so many find out at home if you are pregnant thingies--in fact for Malinda I did it the old fashioned way--went to the doc told him I had missed my period and he did the test....you didn't go into maternity clothes until you had to and they were pretty awful--tents with puff sleeves and cutesy collars and buttons which spelled out baby--in pastels--and baby gifts were different--simpler--home knitted sweaters and home made quilts--and booties--well that is my story and I am sticking to it-- Pax, Alix Peace is seeing a sunset and knowing who to thank. > wow, adelle, that was an amazing bunch of info! it's funny that as i > read it, i could think of all kinds of storylines (typical chamberlain [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > to shove (literally), but right now, she's smitten by the fame and > fortune her daddy married. Sounds like the blind leading the blind, to me. Twenty-three can still be pretty immature. Major egocentrism issues? Or a very grounded Kate Hudson or Gwenyth Paltrow type? And if she is an actress and 'body conscious' - lots of body and diet issues (does she count calories and do the exercise too much thing, or does she use the pregnancy as a chance to eat whatever she wants for a change - or neither?). But also room for all that luxury pampering stuff like prenatal massage, facials, private trainer/yoga sessions, personal assistants running errands to satisfy cravings or research where to buy a certain stroller or breast pump. If you really wanted to be trendy, there would be some mention of the Kabbalah Center movement or Scientology which are major influences in Hollywood. I specify Kabbalah 'Center' because it's actually a watered down version (my words) of real Kaballah study, packaged for mass market by a family who decided you didn't need to have the background in the major Jewish texts the kabbalah seeks to expound upon before actually studying Kaballah. Somewhat like learning to dance Swan Lake before taking Ballet Classes. Or what happened with Yoga and the Hindu religion morphing into 'new age' practices. Chakras didn't start with Shirley MacLaine. But they have certainly been co-opted by those who can buy into certain parts of Hinduism and Jainism but not all of it. Of course, the NY based actresses like Paltrow and Sarah Jessica Parker took very different approaches - too sophisticated to buy into trendy fluff. NYC is a completely different mindset. Adelle - musing on all of this instead of the mountain of laundry. that NY vs LA bit is a good point, adelle. my actress is NOT grounded. she is LA based but has an apartment in NY, so there could be a little of both, but basically she's a narcissist (sp?). the 21 year old daughter WAS very grounded until her new stepmother came on the scene. now she's sort of losing herself, but she'll find herself again by the end. it's actually not her story--it's her 43 year old mother's story. and all will work out well in the end. and alix, thanks for sharing your memories! made me groan/laugh. diane Diane, went thru it with my grandson 4 years ago and recently watched close friends with their children. They all did water births with mid-wifes. It really is a nice way to go. The other thing they all did was get large "henna" tattoos on their bellys. Thats the natural dye thats not permanent. Those three I was around. According to my daughter-in-law all of her friends having children recently (3 or 4 more) have done the same thing. Both things seem to be pretty popular. johnie > okay, my question this time around is: how is pregnancy, labor and > delivery different now from 20 years ago? in my story, i'm dealing with [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > diane > www.dianechamberlain.com Diane, My baby just turned 25...so I am just a little bit outta your timeline...But we didn't have ultrasounds... My oldest is 29...In my 9th month..the doctor took an xray...I suppose to see if I could deliver vaginally... My husband was the only one in the delivery room with me and it was a real delivery room/operating room...Not a birthing room. There was no such thing as an epidural. Not sure when that came along. We had saddle blocks and you had to be dilated the full 10 to get it... So there were no pain free deliveries...so to speak unless you had csections... Also they didn't schedule your delivery like you schedule a vacation either...I had to go over my due date with all 3 of my children and they didn't induce labor until you were way way overdue.... So this is a few of the differences 25 years ago... I am getting ready to have my 7th grandchild on Saturday..Yep we scheduled it... I just can't get over that...And I have got to be there for everyone of their births...It is a wonderment.... Hope this helps Cindy > okay, my question this time around is: how is pregnancy, labor and > delivery different now from 20 years ago? in my story, i'm dealing with [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > diane > www.dianechamberlain.com congrats on all those grandkids, cindy. hope everything goes smoothly on saturday. i'm perplexed by some of you saying no ultrasounds 20-25 years ago. i was a social worker in a maternity unit then (big hospital in san diego) 1980-83 and i could swear there were ultrasounds and epidurals back then. diane Hi Diane, > i'm perplexed by some of you saying no ultrasounds 20-25 years ago. Medical sonography was first used in the 1950's, but like most medical test equipment it was very expensive & many hospitals & most doctors couldn't afford the cost or take the time to learn to use it. It wasn't until the late 80's early 90's that the technology was computerized that ultrasound became common & it has only been the last few years that the image quality we see today became available. > i was a social worker in a maternity unit then (big hospital in san > diego) 1980-83 and i could swear there were ultrasounds and > epidurals back then. There could have been if the hospital had a large spending budget. :-) > diane GramPaHugs, Alex, SignatureAny information is included for informational or entertainment purposes only, is based on my personal experiences & is an expression of my opinion. **************************************************** * Love radiating from 45.10n x 93.30w M/SP Mn * http://home.mn.rr.com/apbiii * http://grampahugs.is-a-geek.org/ * http://www.goldenmist.org **************************************************** I think that after my son was born...That ultrasounds became more common...And he was born in 1980..so...guess what...that makes him 26...LOL...Whoops..I guess I am getting too old to remember...LOL... Also we are from Oklahoma and maybe smaller hospitals...And the hospital was small... Good luck with your book! > congrats on all those grandkids, cindy. hope everything goes smoothly > on saturday. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > diane >i'm perplexed by some of you saying no ultrasounds 20-25 years ago. i >was a social worker in a maternity unit then (big hospital in san >diego) 1980-83 and i could swear there were ultrasounds and epidurals >back then. There certainly were epidurals. Can't remember when ultrasounds became commonplace. I do remember that when they came in there was concern that the actural ultrasound might damage the fetus in some way. They were certainly pretty common in the eighties. --- Joan When I worked in OBS, many years ago there were few "natural" deliveries, but I can remember when I was in my teens a woman in our village delivered all her kids at home with the aid of the family doctor. Now that was probably45-50 years ago. When I was doing my OBS training they used something called a Trilene mask which the woman held to her face. It caused a sort of twilight sleep or something when she had a contraction. My mother had a general of some type when she had me. In the sixties, and I'm talking Canada here, breast feeding became *the* thing to do. Episiotomies were pretty routine, C-sections not too common. Now a woman can choose to deliver by C/S and schedule the date! I remember handing out a recipe for formula to the mothers who were not going to breast feed. It used Carnation Milk, corn syrup and water. That was before commercial formulas. Each maternity hospital had a formula room, we were assigned to it for part of our OBS affiliation. I taught OBS nursing in the late sixties and fathers were allowed in the delivery room then. I still remember the day when I worked in NICU and a mother was standing at the viewing window of the NICU, in tears, while she looked at her baby through two layers of glass, the window and the incubator. :-( Now midwives are common place in many provinces and home deliveries of low risk mothers are coming back in vogue. At one time "once a C-section, always a C-section", this is no longer so. An evaluation is done first. Novel thought, eh? When I was researching the history of my school of nursing I learned that at one time mothers were kept in bed for TEN DAYS after delivery. Then they wondered why they developed blood clots in their veins! I remember one obstetrician who was seen as a rebel because he got his mothers up the day after delivery. Now one day is routine, a C-section about 3 days, I think. I am retired now so not clear on that. Birthing rooms are common, the whole family can be there during delivery if people wish, so we seems to have come full circle. --- Joan >>I still remember the day when I worked in NICU and a mother was standing at the viewing window of the NICU, in tears, while she looked at her baby through two layers of glass, the window and the incubator. :-( << oh, that poor mommy. :-( diane |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2009 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.