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SEX IN THE 1960s: GIVING BIRTH

Less Painful Deliveries

After World War II the process of giving birth changed. Increasingly, a woman went to the hospital for delivery instead of staying home. Through most of labor she inhaled pain-reducing anesthesia agents. Near the end of labor the woman was given general anesthesia to put her to sleep. Since she could not push the baby out, a physician used forceps, large steel spoons, around the baby's head to pull it out. This system served several purposes: pregnant women experienced less pain during labor; the hospital staff appreciated caring for less noisy patients; and physicians controlled the whole birthing process. At this time, it was thought that the baby was not greatly affected by drugs given to the mother.

Reaction against Anesthesia

Changes began after it was learned that babies seemed to be exposed to drugs the mothers took during pregnancy. Studies showed that babies exposed to high levels of anesthesia during labor had significant problems. A few hospitals introduced natural childbirth, using a technique popularized by French obstetrician Fernand Lamaze, in which mothers learned special breathing methods to control pain and were provided with practical information about the childbirth process.

Public versus Professional Perspectives

Saint Mary's Hospital in Saint Louis reported more natural deliveries than any other facility in the country in 1964—1,182 over a five-year period. Many women appreciated the program and the feeling that they were contributing to the well-being of their babies. Obstetricians opposed it, however. They liked neither losing control of the delivery process nor having their patients educated on the details of childbirth.