Were you born by twilight sleep?

[Jyotsna]

Hi everyone,

My brother and I were born by twilight sleep. Not sure about my sister. Before I knew about twilight sleep, there was a distinct absence about my birth story, and I always found it odd that others parents talked about the birth of their children, but my parents didn't.

After watching the Ricki Lake "Birth" tonight, I wondered if my mother was one of those women who was mistreated or physically abused while givingn birth to me, or even straped to the table and left for hours. I know it seems strange that I would have no memory about my birth, since I was an infant, but I think I lacked any connection to my birth at all.

As an adult, the question I beg an answer for is:

How did this affect me as a newborn, and does it still continue to affect me today?

[atjmom]

I know I was born with my mother under twilight. She told me she didn't "wake up" for three days after I was born. I was her first and she was only 18 at the time.

[MyBoysBlue]

I was born that way too my Mom foggily remembers the doctor coming in and asking the nurses. "Is she out? I don't want her moving." She was also 18 and I was her first. Her Doc was an old Doc back in 1977 when I was born, I don't think it was really common practice then but it was an old hospital and all the docs there were old and ready to retire. I think they were behind the times. For my sister born 4 years later my Mom didn't go to the hospital until she was ready to push as she didn't want to be drugged up, She ended up having my two sisters and my brother all naturally. My brother was a quick 20 min birth with only the nurses. I don't know if it was because of my birth or the fact that I wasn't breastfed but I was horribly sick and in and out of the hospital until I was 2. Mostly Fevers and bad colds.

[kittywitty]

I was born au naturel.

[paintedbison]

I was born with an epidural in 1980.

[kapatasana]

I was a C-section, my younger sister was a vaginal birth but I know my mom had an epidural. I bet my mother and aunt and uncles were all born by twilight sleep though. My grandma (who has given me lots and lots of good advice too, I swear) always told me regarding child birth to "scream until they knock you out". I always wondered what she meant by that, I didn't think you could physically give birth and be "knocked out". I guess I should of just asked. I've heard about twilight sleep in regards to abortion, but not child birth.

[felix23]

My mom had 7 unmedicated hospital birth with the eighth she decided to go with the epidural.

[Mama Poot]

I was born in a hospital in 1985, my mom only had a small dose of demerol or other similar narcotic. No epidural.

[bvnms]

I was born in 1972 and I know it wasn't by twilight sleep. She had some kind of drugs but she said she didn't think epidurals were available then or at least she had never heard of them, then or in 1974 when she had my sister. When she had my brothers, one in 1986 and one in 1989, she got the epidural as soon as they would let her. We were talking about it one day and she told me I was nuts because I've never had one. Everytime I'm having a baby, she tells me that I'll change my mind and get one. I told her that nobody is sticking some long needle into my back.

[DreamsInDigital]

My mom had an unmedicated birth with me. I was her only drug-free birth. Both of my older siblings she had IV drugs.

[SublimeBirthGirl]

I was "lucky." All I got was Stadol, epidural drugs, and being dragged out by forceps. Though I was born in '75 and I don't think there was a lot of the twilight sleep at that point?

[BirthIsAwesome]

Sorry, I have no clue. My mom birthed me completely natural in a hospital and went on to have one more natural hospital birth and four homebirths.

[Thalia the Muse]

I was born in 1966 -- I don't know whether it was twilight sleep, but my mom had some kind of general that knocked her more or less completely out for the birth. It sounds horrible to me, but I must say it didn't stop her from bonding with and loving us, and in my case she even nursed for a few weeks (which was sort of rare at the time).

As far as the "how did it affect you?" question -- I'm guessing it really didn't. My brother and I are both "pretty jolly clever," we were healthy babies and are healthy adults, and our mom (and dad) loved us. I'm sure there's a percentage of babies who were adversely affected by that kind of anesthesia -- too groggy to eat or such -- but we weren't in that percentage.

[liberal_chick]

My mother and her 3 siblings were all born by twillight sleep. My grandmother had her 4 kids between 1958 and 1967. She maintains it is the best way to give birth.

[birthdancedoula]

I was my mom's natural birth claim-to-fame. Not sure what she had with my older sis- probably a block of some sort- but with my bro she had the scopolomine cocktail. The details of his birth story are scattered at best.

[lovesdaffodils]

I'm not sure how I was born (adopted), but some of my aunts had twilight sleep births in the 50s and 60s. One aunt in particular was in awe of my natural birth and a little sad because she didn't remember her sons being born at all.

[ColoradoMama]

Originally Posted by lovesdaffodils

One aunt in particular was in awe of my natural birth and a little sad because she didn't remember her sons being born at all.

That is really sad.

No, I was not born with "twilight sleep." I was born in 1972; my mom remembers my birth well!

[Llyra]

My mother had demerol, and then a spinal, with me. I was sluggish and jaundiced; mom says I slept for three days afterwards just about constantly, and she was told by nurses that it was normal for a newborn to be groggy and non-responsive.

[DisplacedYooper]

I was a drug-free hospital baby, but I'm pretty sure my mom was born under twilight sleep... the only memory my grandmother has of my mom's birth is "hearing carolers outside the hospital" (my mom was born on Christmas Eve)

[Lizafava]

My mother's brother was born by twilight sleep in the early 60's. I have the little brochure they gave my grandmother when she woke up - "congratulations, you had a healthy boy at 5:56, you'll get to see him soon!" etc. Very creepy. She doesn't remember anything. She still somehow managed to breastfeed all her kids for several months. Who knows if it had an effect on him.