Visit to see new baby – old time customs
These are extracts taken from the diary of a public health nurse in the 1960’s. Through interviews she captured anecdotes on divers issues affecting families on her health rounds then.
25/6/65
The nana was seen at the home. A baby boy was delivered at 9 pm. The nana had remained with her patient throughout the night. She helped the husband to prepare breakfast, washed soiled linen this morning and attended to both mother and child. She will be leaving for her home this evening to return tomorrow morning to give mother and child oil.
Nana says the baby will get 4-5 drops of castor oil. This helps to clean the bowels of meconium and the chest of any liquor amnii that may have been swallowed. The mother gets oil to help the uterus to contract and that relieves her of any clotted blood which would give her abdominal pain. The umbilical cord is cut about 3_ inches from the stump, and wrapped with grated nutmeg and Johnsons baby powder, and ligatured in two places with Atlas cotton. No bleeding.
Mother had an open Bible at the head of the child. I asked exactly how this would help. She said she did not know but the old people say it keeps away evil spirit and it’s a custom so she had done it. Asked her at what page she had it, she did not know. She just opened it and left it there.
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