When did hospital birth become the norm for large town and small cities? - Page 2

[Mrs-Mama]

My grandmother was born at home with a midwife in 1929 (I've actually been in that house!!), and she had her first (and all) in a hospital with a doctor in 1949.

[JesseMomme]

Originally Posted by applejuice

When I was born at home in 1954, most people simply assumed that my parents did not have the $ to pay for a hospital delivery.

In those days, a woman would deliver and stay for a week, resting well, in the hospital. Hospital delivery was not that expensive and few insurance plans covered it. Nowadays, it is more expensive and women are checked out within 3 days, regardless if they need more rest or not.

Most women rest best at home.

Made me think of my maternal grandmother (had all 8 in the hospital, I imagine some if not most were twilight deliveries) saying something about getting a week to stay in the hospital after birth, and by the time her youngest was born in the late fifties, the norm was shorter, but her Dr pulled some strings so she could still get a full week to rest "because she had all of those kids to take care of back home".

My mom got three days for us four kids. Two days was all my insurance "would allow", not that I felt like I was allowed to rest much! It seems now that 24 hours is common, even for a mom who had a c/s. (But again, rest is better at home, usually, and I imagine the risk for infection goes way down too)

[cathicog]

My grandparents were all born at home between 1903 and 1908 but all thier children(my parents and their siblings were born in the hospitals, 1930-1948. I imagine childbirth for my paternal grandmother was particularly bad, since she only had 3 children, and sometime in the middle part of life, quit sleeping with my grandfather, I guess so that "aweful thing" wouldn't happen to her again (she didn't marry til 27, so my father was born when she was 29 and siblings at 31 and 34. She was a true prude...I was the first person to homebirth my children in the immediate family(I was born in 1955- when they were still using twilight sleep.My mother had me quickly though, so a saddle block was all she ended up with. I don't even think it took before I arrived. My inlaws, however were all born at home and on Bent mountain, VA, the first babies from Bent Mt, born in the hospital in Roanoke were born in the late 40's. The docs promoted it, cuz it was easier for them, and it was easier to teach the residents if the clients would come to them. But there still were midwives on the mountain(and still are in Floyd Co...

[Turquesa]

Originally Posted by ~Megan~

So grandpa was born in a suburb of Nashville in 1934. What are the chances? His family was exceedingly poor as well.

Well, how curious are you? Enough to post on MDC, obviously, but would you take this a step further? The answer is out there, but you will have to pay for it. (Literally, I mean, as in $12.00 )

Go here and scroll down for info and instructions: http://health.state.tn.us/vr/index.htm

(Can you tell I'm a genealogist??? )

Your grandfather was born after 1914, when TN started routinely reporting births, so his data is available. The certificate will make it clear. And make sure you tell us what you learn!