Your testimony about mother’s maybe not learning to change diapers right away is very interesting but my own limited observation is that it happens pretty fast—my baby delivery doctor friends all say much less than 48 hours.
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That’s true now but back in the 60’s it was common to be in the hospital for up to a week for a normal delivery and healthy baby. Back them often they changed the diapers in the nursery and the mothers only had them for short visits, then they were taken back to the nursery.
That is true. It was very "avante garde" for the mother to get the baby at all. The nurses brought him/her to you for feeding and then took him away. You weren't allowed to change him, dress, etc. until it was time to go home. I was in the hospital 5 days for my first. For my second I was there for 1 1/2 days -- released by accident. The doctor was furious. I stayed about 3 days for #3 and #4.For numbers 2 through 4 I had was was called "rooming in" where I had my own mini nursery that I shared with a roommate. The babies stayed in a drawer in the wall. When I was tired I could push the drawer into the wall and the baby came out the other side in the "mini nursery". The nurses could see through the glass that the baby was no longer with me and could keep an eye on the baby. That was at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in Walnut Creek, CA and was a VERY NEW regimen.
My first was born in IL in 1960 and it was a very regimented system. The nurses had full care of the babies. I was warned that the babies were coming by an announcement over the hospital loudspeaker. "Mothers, be prepared to receive your babies!" Made me jump out of my skin.
I wasn't allowed to touch that baby except for feeding time, so I was totally unprepared when I went home. I remember standing by the bathinette and trying to read directions on how to bather the baby -- what goes first, oil or powder? Got the book all wet.