Carsten – Dorrie

1974 Birth of Carsten

In the early morning hours I had back aches, which I didn’t think it could be birth contractions. But we decided to drive to the hospital anyway.

While on the highway we discussed about which hospital we should go to. We decided on the Frankfurt Uni Clinic because we figured if there were any complications we could be sure of professional care. Also, it was the same one that Michael had been born in.

We found our way there since weeks before we had already visited it. We went up to the top floor, signed me in, then Michael left. I was told to get undressed, oddly the room for that was full of cleaning stuff, brooms, etc. I was then placed in a bath tub, then on a bed. I was rolled into another room and once again left alone.

I then started feeling like I had to throw up, but where and how? I rang the bell for help and a young medicine student arrived and had no idea what to do. He left, then came back with one of those kidney formed bowls. Not great but better then nothing.

Then things got serious and I was rolled into a different room. Then the contractions began. I wasn’t given a shot or anything but all seemed to be going well.

But soon after my baby was born, they said they had to do something, and called in as many students as were available. It seemed I had a tear in my vagina which was quite unusual and that’s why they called in the students.

After it was all taken care of they rolled me a “normal” room, but it was one with 8 beds! I hadn’t seen my baby yet and it was so sad seeing all those other ladies holding theirs. The next day I was placed in a 3 bed room. I remember that one of the ladies never got her baby since it was in a special clinic. I don’t know why.

As you can tell by the title it was the early 70’s. I wanted to nurse Carsten but that wasn’t “normal”. Carsten, as we soon named him, was brought a few times a day. But I couldn’t nurse him. The food in the clinic was horrible so how could I develop milk? The only thing I could eat was yogurt, which I never liked. And he didn’t seem to be hungry so I figured they gave him a bottle before bringing him to me.

Just before Carsten was born we decided we would go the same hospital that Michaels father was born in, which is why we chose it. My stay there was horrible! Back then it was usual to stay for at least 10 days, whether necessary or not. And nursing wasn’t supported either. And when I left my room for a walk it was extremely boring. All the babies were in a room with curtain, making it impossible to see them. Heremoved into a new and larger apartment in a nieghboring village, Jügesheim. It was really necessary.

On March 6, 1974, my son, Carsten, was born in a hospital in Frankfurt, Germany. It are a couple of pictures from the first days:

We were also supposed to take walks. But the room with babies had a curtain so it was not possible to see them. So there was no incentive to take walks. Back then it was also common to be kept 10 days in the clinic!

I was so glad when Michael came to pick us up and drive home. We of course had a room prepared for Carsten. Back then it was also not common to use Pampers! I tried to use cloth diapers but soon gave it up and used the Pampers. One of the arguments about Pampers was the plastic lining which would cause the Pipi to without air would cause infections.

Well he got an infection once but not because of the Pampers, but because I dared to drink orange juice, then afterwards nursed him. That was a bad idea!!

This is what it looked like: