Twilight sleep - how long in use?

[Reha]

I am trying to research 'twilight sleep' and at what point was it universally stopped being used (in the US, anyhow).

I was born in 1981 in a little town in Louisiana. I have heard my birth story a million times from my mom, and so never really thought about questioning the bit about where she said she was 'knocked out just before I was born'. I guess I always assumed she was put under GA. But, now, I'm not so sure.

Last night, we got to talking, and I asked more details. She said her arms and leg were strapped down near the end (before she was 'put to sleep'), and my dad was told he had to leave the room. I was born with a deep episiotomy and forceps. She said that before she went to sleep, she was told they were going to give her something to help her relax, but she says she has no recollection of anything after they gave her the drugs, so always assumed she was just 'put to sleep'.

I know the 70's and 80's were when the natural childbirth movement was spreading....but it seems to me that my mom had a 50's birth in the 80's!

Does anyone know if twilight sleep was indeed still being used in the early 80's? Does what I describe sound like twilight sleep? :

[LeAnnHP]

I was born in the mid 70s and my mom had a similar experience. She had natural, drug free labor until the very end. A nurse came in and gave her a shot, that my mom refused. She said that she didn't come to until a good hour later.

I have no idea what it was.

[redpajama]

I was born in 1981, too (but my older siblings were born in 1966, 1967, 1970 and 1972). I was recently talking to my mom about some of the horrific obstetric practices of the past (as well as some present ones) and when I told her about Twilight Sleep, it was like,
Mom: My god, that's awful!
Me: Yeah, I *know!* They would even strap their arms and legs down!
Mom: Oh. Well, I...*think*...my arms and legs were strapped down.
Me: You "think"?
Mom: Well, I don't remember, but I *think* so.
Me: Okay, and then what?
Mom: I don't really remember.
Me: Where was Dad?
Mom: Oh, he wasn't allowed in the room.
:
So I'll be curious to hear what people have to say here, because I've wondered the same thing.

ETA: I know she didn't have this with *all* of us, if she did with any, because my brother (her fourth) was born very quickly (also the only one with which she had no episiotomy), and she recalls my sister's birth (a vaginal breech) in rather sharp detail. But I suspect she may have had it with one or more of us.

[Peppamint]

Hmm, none of my births books have led me to believe it was still being used in the 80s but I dunno. Hmm. I had the impression that it was outed in the late '50s and they gradually stopped using twilight sleep in the following years (although maybe there were pockets where they still used it).

I was born in Jan '81- my mom had a spinal (at the advise of her MIL) and because she was numb they used forceps and gave her a huge episiotomy. She went drug-free the next two births in '87 and '88, but was still subjected to the shave, enema and mandatory episiotomy.

I thought maybe my MIL had twilight sleep, but from more in depth questions and what she can remember, it sounds like she just breathed in ether and was rendered unconscious the six times she gave birth between '52- '62. Maybe it was TS though. :

[ZoeyZoo]

I know it happened to my mom in the early 80s too. Very similar to the OP's story.

[doulanichole]

I was born in 75 and based on my mom's description, it sounds like she had TS as well. My siblings were born in 79 and 82 and my mom was so disappointed in the fact that she couldn't have the same experience with them that she had with me....ugh. I was born in a smaller town in FL, btw.

[crsta33]

It was still in used in 75 in Mississippi. My mother refused to have it again after having had it with me in 73 (and not remembering she'd had a baby until the next morning).

Christa

[Reha]

Wow. Thanks for sharing, ladies.

I'm still coming to terms with it all. Knowing what I know now about birth, it just makes me so, so sad. : While there is no knowing what things would be like if my birth had been different, I really can see in myself today what I could interpret as consequences of my birth (and the 4-6 hour separation from my mother that followed).

[crsta33]

I really think my twilight sleep birth is what led me down the path to alternatives. I've always known my birth story and we still discuss it at times. I was born before 10 p.m. and was kept from my mother (and my gmother and aunt, who would have gladly held me) until the next morning b/c she reacted so badly to the twilight sleep. We did manage to go on to have a sucessful breastfeeding relationship, despite having no support for it (go Momma!)

When I got pg the first time, I was adamant that I would *not* be separated from my baby. I had to change providers and drive 3 hours to get the birth I wanted and it was well worth it. I also think that being present at my births has helped to heal my mother's birth trauma wounds.

Christa

[salt_phoenix]

When I was pregnant in 1988 with my first, I had a friend who had a 5 year old.
She DEFINITELY had TS.
She had her baby in Texas in 1983 with TS.

I was born in 1967 in a small town hospital/clinic. My aunt, who was the nurse on duty at the time, "held me in" until the doctor came to catch because I had a "cord around my neck". I came "naturally", however, was forced to sit in the birth canal for an unspecified amount of time until the doctor could get there to "unwrap the cord" and "allow me to be born". :

I always figured that's why I feel suffocated by other people putting their wills on me and hate doing things on other peoples time.

[azjen43]

My first was born in 1978. I was young, and he came a month early, so I had only had one childbirth class. My baby's father was not allowed into the room, ostensibly because we were not married and I was under age.

So much of that day is a blur, but this is what I remember. The baby was posterior and I had excruciating back labor. I was required to lay in bed, and told at least once to stop crying." If I was old enough to get myself pregnant, I was old enough to handle the pain." This was said by the L&D nurse. Eventually, I was givin IV demerol, a couple of times, I think. At some point, I was moved to another room, (I'm assuming the delivery room) where I was literally picked up and moved to a table, like the kind you have x-rays on. The next thing I remember , the room was filled with people and someone was placing a mask over my face. I remember briefly fighting to keep it off my face, because I was feeling panicked and claustrophobic....

Next thing I remember, I came to. I had a couple of thoughts right away. One was that it was daylight, (It had been night last I remembered) and the other was that I was numb , but pretty sure I was gonna be in alot of pain soon. When someone noticed I was awake, they said. "Oh, hi! You have a little boy. He had some trouble breathing, so he's in the NICU, but he's gonna be fine." As I was being wheeled into recovery, I was brought by the window to the NICU and he was pointed out to me.

So....Twilight sleep? I don't think so, but I was definitely knocked out and my son was dragged out with forceps. He had big bruises on the sides of his head. Also, the breathing difficulties turned out to from all the demerol I was given in labor.

And yet I tell myself, thank god it happened that long ago...cause today I would have ended up with a C Section.

Sorry so long. This is the first time I've written about this. Funny how nearly 30 years later, it's still all right there.

[Reha]

Thank you so much for everyone sharing their stories.

I talked to my mom more last night, and she said she was indeed given a shot in the arm to 'help her relax' and she said that when she woke, she had bruises all over her legs and ankles and wrists (which were all strapped down), so that all does add up to the use of twilight sleep.

[636Jen]

Are you referring to the use of Scopolamine? I just read that when Scopolamine and Morphine were combined, it produced Twilight Sleep.

Here's an exerpt from from the book called Birth: The Suprising History of How We Are Born.


http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&...Vd-cV0#PPA1,M1


It sounds like some of what you all are talking about.

[Reha]

Yes, those are the drugs that are used to produce so called 'twilight sleep'.

I'm just trying to piece together if that was indeed what was given to my mother during my birth (in 1981). And, the more I learn, the more I am certain it was.

[Mavournin]

It does sound a lot like twilight sleep. Almost any medical reference I have come across has said that twilight sleep was used up to the 60s, but I imagine that it's use continued in rural or less cosmopolitan areas for longer.

I'm sorry. I know how hard it is to process the unpleasant facts of your own birth.