Doriscourt Nursing Home Whalley Range

[LizzieW]

Nick

Thank you for that info.  Although I'm neither Catholic nor Jewish, my dad's friend who arranged for me to have the baby there was a Jewish GP, perhaps Mary Walsh was well known within Catholic and Jewish communities.

Lizzie

[Joan67]

I think she was known to both of these religions. She did do a great deal of good work helping many that others would not help.there was a Doctor also involved with Doriscourt called Dr  C E B Rickards .

[LizzieW]

Strangely, I don't remember seeing any doctors at all.  I stayed with a local family but I can't remember having any ante-natal care.  Perhaps I just blocked it all out.  Then again I don't remember having any ante-natal care in 1962 when I was married and pregnant with another child.  All I remember is going to work until I was about 8 months pregnant, then mooching around at home until the baby was born.  Within a couple of weeks my husband and I and the baby had moved about 30 miles away from where she was born and I don't remember any post natal care either.

[lib58]

Does anyone know or can remember how many women were married who gave birth at the home?Also was there some kind of segregation of married mother's and unmarried.Just listened to the Nolan Clip very moving.

[LizzieW]

I can't remember how many were married, but it was a larger percentage than the unmarried - at least when I was there, and no there wasn't any segregation, it might have been better if there had been.  We were put in the same small wards as the married women, then at visiting time we had no visitor, so they all guessed we were unmarried.

[sarah]

We have received the following letter as transcribed from a Lady called "A" who wished for me to post this letter on her behalf.  The lady kindly included two photographs taken at the time.

Re: DorisCourt Nursing Home, 157 Upper Chorlton Road Whalley Range

I was an married mother 1958-1959.  I had had some nursing experience with babies so
I went there early in my pregnancy Nov 1958 to Oct 1959. 

I have been wanting to for a long time to correct the false impression that has been given of the treatment of unmarried mother's and the role of Matron Walsh.

Matron was hard working who ran the nursing home, delivering mothers at the drop of a hat,
there is not set time for babies arriving.  When necessary she also washed nappies to
describe as being treated skivvies?  I find hard to believe, in the years that I was at Doris court I never saw any skivvies.

Everyone ate the same meals patients, staff and unmarried girls cooked fresh every day by
the cook.  The matron cared very deeply about babies that went for adoption and to the very
best of good homes. Met many new parents

At the beginning of 1959 Matron had a heart attack and she stayed at Doris Court and we
looked after her for a few weeks then she was up and about.

During the time I was at Doris Court I made friends with the girls, I was invited to two
weddings.

I trained as a midwife in 1959 parts 1 & 2 and I continued working at Doris Court until 1962-3

Best Wishes

"A"

I have tried my best to contact this lady by email but have not heard back, this could be that I do not have the email address correct maybe due to the handwriting?  I do have a postal address so will try to send a letter.

If the lady who sent the letter is reading this post and wishes to contact us again, you can do this by clicking on the red "contact support" button that appears at the bottom of RootsChat front webpage

Regards

Sarah

Words in Blue are my best guess of the word

[sarah]

Two Photographs included taken in 1960

1.The Front of DorisCourt Nursing home Staff member in Car
2. Inside the entrance of Doriscourt 2 staff members

[lib58]

Very interesting post from another point of view.I find it interesting that records were lost or disposed of.My Mother in Law remembers the matron as a Matron was back in those days.She told me of the procedure after birth regarding breast feeding and having their nipples dabbed with some ointment by the Staff as they stood in line.She also told me of having to giving birth in stirups!and having to lie down in an afternoon and the babies being brought from the nursery for feeding.Maybe the Lady who replied to the posts might furnish everyone with more of what actually went on there.

[Joan67]

I think it is important to say ,it was not unusual for women to give birth with stirrups in those years and subsequent ones in hospitals as well and babies would be brought from nursery to feed this happened till the 1980s/1990s ,don't understand the last comments