Motherhood in the USSR

After the October Revolution, the position of women in our country has changed radically. The equality of men and women was recognized, and in Central Asia and the Caucasus there was a struggle against polygamy and kalym.

Maternity care and maternal and child health care were organized in a new way. In the USSR, a huge network of hospitals, maternity hospitals and other medical and preventive institutions for adults and children was created. Internists, obstetricians, gynecologists, and pediatricians worked in all district hospitals. District hospitals and paramedic and obstetric stations were created for the medical care of workers and workers of collective farms, state farms and machine tractor stations. Sanitary and epidemiological stations were established in district centers, whose task was to take care of the sanitary condition of settlements and prevent infectious diseases among the population.

Motherhood in the USSR was raised to a cult. He was praised by Soviet literature, painting, sculpture and cinematography. Maternal love was described as a holy, high, selfless feeling.

Protection of the health of a mother in the USSR

The Soviet state showed special attention and care to the mother woman. During the entire pregnancy, the woman was under the supervision of a women’s clinic or a paramedic-obstetric center. The midwife visited the pregnant woman at home and gave her advice in advance on what and how to prepare for the time of the baby’s birth (underwear, baby care items, etc.). If the pregnancy was abnormal, the midwife or doctor, while providing the pregnant woman with the necessary medical care, carefully ensured that she was sent to the maternity ward of the hospital in time, where she would be provided with qualified medical care and urgent assistance in case of complications. In particularly severe cases, a specialist doctor was urgently called from the district and even the regional center. Medical monitoring of the health of the mother and her child continued after discharge from the maternity hospital.

The work in maternity hospitals of regional centers was built on the example of cities. The maternity hospital was run by a qualified doctor. The staff usually consisted of two doctors, four midwives, four nurses and several nannies. The district maternity hospital served women in labor not only in the district center, but also in the nearest collective farms.

Collective farm maternity hospitals were the brainchild of the collective farmers themselves. In most cases, women themselves took care of allocating the best premises in the village for the maternity hospital, and the board of the collective farm was obliged to take care of its landscaping, equipping it with furniture, linen, uninterrupted supply of fuel, food, etc. Medical equipment and maintenance of the midwife of the collective farm maternity hospital were provided by the district health department at the expense of the state budget.

According to labor legislation, collective farmers were released from working on tractors after childbirth two months before giving birth. Before they were granted prenatal leave, they had to be transferred to lighter jobs. They were allowed to work on tractors only after two months after giving birth.

In 1955, over 90% of rural births took place with the help of medical personnel. In the USSR, 9512 collective farm maternity hospitals were organized.

A lot of work by midwives in the village was carried out to monitor the health of women after childbirth, as well as to teach the rules of child care and upbringing. To do this, the midwife gave advice on how best to feed him, introduced the mother to measures to prevent various childhood diseases. The midwife carried out systematic patronage supervision primarily for newborns and children under the age of one year.

Assistance to mothers

On July 8, 1944, a decree was issued by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR "On increasing state assistance to pregnant women, large and single mothers, strengthening the protection of motherhood and childhood, establishing the honorary title "Mother Heroine" and establishing the Order of Maternal Glory and the Medal of Motherhood. This decree provided for the expansion of the network of maternity and child protection institutions, provided additional benefits for pregnant women and mothers, and increased state assistance to large and single mothers.

If earlier the state allowance was given to mothers with six children at the birth of the seventh and every next child, then by Decree of July 8, 1944, the allowance began to be given to mothers with two children at the birth of the third and every next child. When determining the state allowance for large families, children who died or disappeared on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War were also taken into account.

This decree established a State allowance for the maintenance and upbringing of children by single mothers. The allowance was paid to mothers until the children reached the age of 12. If a single mother wished to place a child born to her in an institution for upbringing, the maintenance and upbringing of this child was carried out entirely at the expense of the state. If desired, the mother could at any time take the child back from the children’s institution to her upbringing. In 1956 alone, 8 billion 400 million rubles were paid to mothers with many children and single mothers for newborns.

The decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR states that a mother deserves universal respect, that she deserves a high award for her honorable work in raising children. To reward mothers who gave birth to and raised five or more children, the Soviet government established the "Medal of Motherhood", the Order of Maternal Glory and the honorary title "Mother Heroine". By 1957, 51 693 women were awarded the honorary title of "Mother Heroine" in the USSR, and more than 5.5 million women were awarded the Orders of Maternal Glory and the Medal of Motherhood.