THE TWILIGHT ERA

Opioid drugs combined with sedatives were first introduced in Austria in 1902. These drugs were given in such high dosage during labour that women had little memory of their labour at all. The term ‘twilight sleep’ was used to describe this stuporous condition. Later on, intravenous barbiturates were also given, so that women were practically unconscious of their labour altogether! Twilight sleep became very popular in North America - where there was much lobbying from the child-bearing public group, the National Twilight Sleep Association, held rallies demanding that hospitals install the equipment and provide nursing staff to look after twilight sleep patients. Articles in Women’s magazines, such as McLures, also urged support for the Twilight Sleep movement and ridiculed doctors who were concerned about its safety.