10 Things That Have Changed Since Our Mums Gave Birth To Us

6. Food, Glorious Food

In the 1960s, a modern woman bottle-fed. Formula was considered a good substitute for breastmilk, and it gave a woman more freedom. Not to mention that breastfeeding in public was vulgar and certainly not done by a respectable lady.

Then the 1970s and the sexual revolution came along. Breasts came out, and breastfeeding came in. But, breastfeeding was only recommended for the first six months. Then babies were weaned on to formula. Some mums even made their own formula by mixing Carnation Evaporated Milk, sugar, water and Pentavite multivitamins.

7. No Hair Down There

In the 1960s, women in labour were shaved. The Brazilian was thought to be more hygienic, lowering the risk of infection.

8. It’s Eviction Time

Caesarean Sections have been around for hundreds of years. Legends claim Julius Caesar was born this way, and that’s how we came about the name. But, C-sections have never been so popular.

In 1970, just 5% of babies were born by C-section in the United States. Today, 30% of American (and Australian) babies come into the world this way.

9. Sometimes We Need a Little Help

In 1978, the world’s first baby conceived through IVF was born in Manchester, United Kingdom. Louise Brown weighed just 2.6 kilograms at birth and was delivered by C-section.

Two years later Candice Reed became Australia’s first IVF baby. Today, more than 10,000 Australian babies are conceived each year with the help of assisted reproductive therapies.

10. Staying Alive

In the 1970s, low birth weight and premature babies had a 25% survival rate. By 1990, this had jumped as high as 90% (depending on how premature the baby was) and today babies born as early as 22 weeks are considered to have a fighting chance.

What other changes in childbearing have you noticed?