New Mum & Baby "Instructions" From the 60s are Simply Horrifying

A list of rules and instructions handed out by a hospital in 1968 to mums who have just given birth have gone viral on social media.

The strict set of instructions was originally shared to Facebook by a mum, before being quickly picked up and posted by multiple pages and groups.

A couple of the most shocking instructions include the restricted times a mother is allowed to see her baby, “Please do not ask to see baby at any other time”.

And no one, including the father is allowed in the room during nursing times, which happen at strict intervals throughout the day for one hour at a time.

baby instructions

Thank goodness times have changed!

As you can imagine social media did not react well to the rules.

“They lost me at ‘please do not ask to see baby at any other time’ like wtf you talking to? That’s mine,” one mum commented.

“I draw the line at ‘do not eat chocolate candy’. After dealing with gestational diabetes during my ENTIRE pregnancy, they would have had to pry my M&Ms out of my cold, dead hands.

“Is this why baby boomers are so angry,” another mum shared.

“I still think it’s a miracle anyone from that time successfully breastfed. These instructions are insane,” read another comment.

Share your comments below

34 Comments

- - meedee said
  - 18 Mar 2023
    10:47 am
Well the mention of no chocolate is because if you are breast feeding it can upset bubs tummy. My eldest was super sensitive to chocolate.

- - serotonin said
  - 03 Jun 2019
    2:53 pm
Umm wow… How many screaming, hungry babies did they have? And seems like no time for bonding with the parents. Would’ve been a good rest for the mums though, seems the nursery staff did most of the looking after. I’m so glad times have changed.

- - ella12 said
  - 30 Apr 2019
    4:26 pm
So glad it is not like that anymore.

- - mom101628 said
  - 27 Apr 2019
    11:39 pm
That is genuinely what happened in those days – current mums are just so lucky.

- - AmbieBambi said
  - 24 Apr 2019
    10:30 pm
Wow, that’s crazy ????

- - rovermum said
  - 08 Apr 2019
    10:27 am
We’re obviously very lucky that times have changed. Imagine how it would have been for new mothers back then. A little empathy required, I think.

- - Ellen said
  - 08 Apr 2019
    7:45 am
Glad things have changed !

- - mom103920 said
  - 06 Apr 2019
    1:14 am
Mum and Grandma shared their experiences with me after my firt baby. I had trouble breastfeeding after a few weeks and had a wonderful nurse help – something Mum said wasn’t abailable and how very lucky I was ( and I knew it). So glad things have changed!

- - tessie said
  - 05 Apr 2019
    1:58 pm
Wow. Things have changed and become more relaxed (for the better I believe) but I can agree on one thing, no smoking in the room where the baby is.

- - amymcc said
  - 05 Apr 2019
    1:22 pm
Only rule that makes sense is the “no smoking while baby is in the room rule”!

- - littlehandsofmine said
  - 05 Apr 2019
    9:36 am
Wow, all of these rules

- - sars_angelchik said
  - 05 Apr 2019
    8:57 am
The strict intervals for baby to be allowed to feed is insane!

- - MisChip said
  - 05 Apr 2019
    7:53 am
Wow! It wasn’t even that long ago.

- - becstalou said
  - 04 Apr 2019
    11:54 pm
Very intense rules but I guess that’s all they knew. Very glad things have changed.

- - ~Loui~ said
  - 04 Apr 2019
    10:30 pm
….and they would have thought that they were doing the best that they could for the mothers and babies.

- - mom350461 said
  - 04 Apr 2019
    10:27 pm
Such different times

- - mom19782016 said
  - 04 Apr 2019
    9:34 pm
And yet they all survived. Just goes to show that babies are a pretty resilient bunch!

- - deb_gs said
  - 04 Apr 2019
    8:56 pm
At least infection control was considered….

- - youngoldlady said
  - 04 Apr 2019
    8:40 pm
All four of my mother’s babies were born in the 60’s, mum was a nurse and became a mid wife after all the rules were relaxed and married women could do nursing.. We were breastfed and makes me wonder how did the babies survive or the the mothers. I am only able to remember having her last one in Dec 1966 as we were shuffled around during the day as dad worked. No wonder her sister had her children at home at that time. So strict and I know that was the times.
I noticed a big differences in rules between my older three children born in the 80’s and their siblings born 2003 & 2012. So much relaxed now.

- - Blossom said
  - 04 Apr 2019
    3:00 pm
Feeding times are insane. A hungry baby cries for next feed, gulps in air as a result of and has tummy pains as a result of it. Some nurses used the same rules in the 1950s too. The Dads were sent home while the Mum was in labour..or wait in a waiting room. My Dad was told by the Dr. to wait as my Mum’sand brother’s blood had to be tested when my brother was born.