More Info →Foxton Maternity Home 1942-1982 Page 32

Description

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spark-plug carboned up, causing the bike not to start! —usually, when I was running late for duty. (Poor parents, putting up with a cranky daughter at those times!) More often than not, Vicki was good and gave me a lot of pleasure.

One Night-duty, after I'd been into the nursery to change naps, and wind and settle a crying baby, had turned off the light, quietly closed the nursery door and began to tiptoe back to duties, I heard a small noise from the nursery and thought I had better go check all babies again. Upon coming to the third cot, I saw the baby in it disturbed and blue in the face! I snatched the baby up and headed for the nursery door, out in-to the passage, past the kitchen, through the adjoining door, then another door into the matrons flat, and another into the sisters bedroom. She was wide awake sitting up waiting for me! She had heard me leave the th nursery! I was sent to get a catheter, and Sister confidently tended to the baby.

All was under control by a most efficient Sister! (Shirley Thompson)

This fright was something that I have not forgotten.

Fran Ellis (nee Ellis) (Former nurse-aid)

Napkins:
Process from Baby to Baby Again

After emptying the lidded napkin bucket from the nursery (which was a duty for nurse-aids on all shifts), the napkins were taken to the wash house and cleaned of any soiling, thoroughly rinsed and next they were placed into the copper of boiling water for a good cook and a poke now and then with a wooden copper-stick. The naps were lifted out, (which was a hot and dangerous chore!) put into the concrete tubs with the copper-stick, then rinsed in cold clean water. Each napkin had to be doused up and down three times, wrung out by hand and dumped (because that's how we felt by then!) into large wicker baskets, ready for the morning shift nurse-aid to hang out onto the two circular clothes lines at the rear of the Home. (Sunshine, fresh air and the above cleaning process certainly kept any "bugs" away from the babies!)

The little cloth nappy liners were a great device and saved napkins becoming badly soiled. They were also sterilised in the same process as the napkins for re-use.

Amazingly enough there was no scolding casualties from the laundry reported. We sure learned to be careful and responsible people during our time as nurse-aids.

Hanging out napkins onto clothes lines on frosty cold mornings, was a labour of love... At busy times there were two large wicker baskets full of hand-wrung-out napkins. Such

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Identification

Date

2005