Reasons for childhood enemas

Many folks here report enemas from their mother, or other caregivers. What were the reasons for these enemas?

I'd like to also know the decade (1950s? 1960s?) when they were given, to see if there had been some evolution, and also the method (bulb, bag/can).

This is to check some hypotheses of mine.

I have always received weekly enemas, both for preventive cleaning and when I was sick (1982/1995). Until the age of 8 they used enema bulbs of chamomile and 750 ml oil, usually two. From 9 years onwards enema of two liters of chamomile preceded by an enema bulb of oil of 300 ml. The enema with long orange probe made the oil rise up. The position was naked on the bed with a pillow under the pelvis, belly down and legs wide, everything had to enter otherwise we would start again.

Many folks here report enemas from their mother, or other caregivers. What were the reasons for these enemas?

I'd like to also know the decade (1950s? 1960s?) when they were given, to see if there had been some evolution, and also the method (bulb, bag/can).

This is to check some hypotheses of mine.

.

Answers applicable to this group of questions can all be read by viewing these Topics listed :

1.) Why Do You Use Enemas

2) Why do you take enemas

3) Purpose Of An Enema

4) Primary Reason For An Enema

5) What Triggers you to have an enema

6) Bulb vs Bag vs Can

7) The Golden Age

@Pecan_nutjob

For me it was the mid 1950s. and I only got it for not pooing for over a week, after a dose of Castoria and a bulb of warm water had no effect. It was a full Rexall Roxbury bag full of warm water made soapy with Ivory.

Some of the reasons which I thought of are as follows:

• Constipation
• Menstrual cramps (Thank God, I don't have those anymore.)
• Dehydration
• Excessive gas
• Pre Op like a colonoscope (While it's not common anymore some people are allergic to the MiraLax or whatever liquid the physician prescribes.)
• Barium Enema for testing
• Diarrhea
• Detoxification
• Preparation for Anal Sex
• Preparation for Analinguist (Rimming)
• Prep for Childbirth (Almost a procedure of the past but it wasn't when I gave birth.)
• Punishment (I've never had one for punishment.)

I apologize. I didn't read the thread well enough. I listed the reason that I could think of for enemas, not childhood enemas.

Mom, always said to keep us healthy.

@Pecan_nutjob This is to check some hypotheses of mine.

Curious as to what your hypotheses is? My childhood enemas were simply because my mom believed it was important to have a daily BM.

Never had a enema as a child. I got into them when I got older and I strictly use them for cleaning out before some good old anal play of any type.

As a child, for constipation - or perceived constipation. My mother liked to think I was constipated so she could give me an enema - although it wasn't all that often.

As a teen and adult, Strictly for relaxation, pleasure and fun. 😃

When I was a boy in the late 1970s to mid 1980s. My parents needed to help me go BMs and used enemas to flush the BMs out of me. I held my BMs in when I had the urge to go. This led to me messing my pants and my parents wanted that to stop can't Blame them for that. I remember being traumatized from being given enemas but at the same time I did notice a funny tickle feeling when I was given them. Of course this led to a lifetime of enemas and amazing feelings.

@reddevil I think that in the 1950s in the US some parents used enemas for just about any illness, just in case, and then in later decades they became used only for bowel issues, mainly constipation, until near disappearance now.

My 1960’s chronic constipation was treated with warm soap suds delivered from a Davold bag. Two days (3 days at the max) meant the soap suds cure; and it was wonderful relief.

In my home growing up in the 50's and 60's, enemas were quite common for a variety of conditions. My older sister told me I got them as an aspect of toilet training. Thereafter, if any of us failed to have a daily BM, an enema followed the next day. We also got some pre-emptive enemas to avoid a lack of facilities such as travelling or if the doctor was coming for a housecall. Certainly, an enema at the hospital prior to surgery.

The enemas that were given for staying home from school after claiming to be sick, seemed like an effort to coerce us into attendance ie. no excuses absent dire symptoms. Also, an enema for teasing the other recipient was not unusual.

While we had a bulb, all memorable enemas were with the bag. My little sisters (toddlers) did get a bulb enema or two but eventually got theirs from a bag.

I believe that many enemas were given for sexual satisfaction or dominance pleasure. Some even because the receiver enjoyed the process. The existing medical beliefs of the time were a convenient cover. Once the cover lost credibility, the practice waned.

Not feeling good, home from school with a temperature and before Mom called the doctor = enema. Then if not a house visit by him, Mom got handed several packets of castile soap by his nurse at his office after my appointment. Remember the nurse saying to give me enemas 2 times a day until my fever went away, then one after I felt better before returning to school.

Growing up in my age, either girl's or boys dropped off homework, and the 1st question always asked was “ did I get an enema ? ”, as they too got them when sick. Always with a grin when they asked. You never said much, but if you turned red in the face they knew.

2 scents I learned growing up. Mom's Ivory and the doctor's castile soap.

As I have mentioned here before I had constipation issues growing up… still do. When I was very small my parents gave me some sort of laxitive, but many times I threw it up. The Dr. said to try enemas. I got them from a red bulb with a black nozzle until about 6 then a red combo bag with red hose shiny clamp and black nozzle. If I had not been in 2 days it was down on the bathroom floor on my back and a bag of warm water. Stated getting hard around 7 or 8. My mom also used weekly enemas, she was more constipated than I.

Enemas used to be a routine procedure for constipation with the warm soapsuds enema being the solution of choice. This was in an era of the traditional stay at home mom who was also the nurse, as well as everything else, while dad went to work. She monitored the kids and so any signs or symptoms of constipation, that is to say, no bowel movement for the day or sluggishness, being cranky or whatever mom decided was a malady, the child was immediately given an enema as a first line of defense. The reason mostly being, “What can it hurt?” It May sound a little overboard, but when you take into consideration that something like 70-80% of all pediatric ER visits is diagnosed with constipation, you gotta wonder. And with these trips to the ER that end up with a diagnosis of constipation, the standard treatment is an enema … a very expensive one!

My enemas started at the age of8 and were given weekly until I was near 15 years old. I was never given a real reason except that they were going good for me. My grandmother who was a nurse was the one who. Administered hem along with my mother. They were given on Friday or Saturday. In the morning. Or the evening depending on my grandmother. I was naked when I received then. On my back I wasplaced on a table that had a rubber covered mattress on it. My grandmother had a lot of enema equipment. Many bags bulbs. Nozzles and hoses. They used a. Open top brownish red rubber bag . It was a large bag but at the start it was only filled with a small amount and as I got use to taking the enemas the volumn was increased over time by the time they stop I was able to tak three quarts and to help me hold the enema colon tubes and inflatable nozzles were used.

My mother never needed much of an excuse to administer a warm soapsuds enema. She was a single mother who had been widowed early and she thought she had a ‘mission’ to keep her boys healthy. Part of that was making sure their bowels worked. So, if you were sick, you got an enema. After all, she figured, “It couldn't hurt.” She also took enemas herself, so she was no stranger to the red bag.

She had been raised in a family where enemas were common - and were often spoken about at family gatherings.

Sometimes, she would say, “You look a little out of sorts. I think you could use a good enema.” That was that, you did not argue with the woman because resistance was futile. You soon found yourself bent over the bathtub, full red Davol bag hanging on the towel rack, black nozzle in your behind, and a dose of Ivory soapsuds flowing into your guts. He enemas were gentle, but always thorough. This happened in the mid-1950's to the late 1960's.

Like others, my memory triggers are the scents of Ivory soap and Ponds Cold Cream.

Could each participant who recalls enema state the decade in which they were given and the reason? As already mentioned, these general topics have already been discussed in other threads. I however would like to test a hypothesis of mine regarding the correlation of reasons with time.

The only reason I got enemas was, the Pediatrician ordered them “give her a couple of soapsuds enemas” after Mom told him that I was constipated - OR - Mom wanted to give me soap enemas with the bag. Often.

It seems that most of us here were born in the 50's and 60's, with a few earlier than that. Our elders seem to have aged out or passed on in many cases.

I never believed my mom or grandma got any sexual stimulation from their efforts, but my mom certainly was a pretty strict, paranoid type with dad on the road.

Our pediatrician, and his nurse, sure believed an enema was an efficient way to address many issues.

Based on the medical literature from those days, and much earlier, enemas were very common in our society and a legitimate way to resolve various conditions in the cljnic, hospital, and at home.

I can believe that receiving an enema likely triggered similar sensations in our elders!

My siblings an I got enemas the morning of a doctors appointment or when mom called his office, not going to the bathroom for two or three days, rubbing our stomach too often, coughing too much, being sick in bed, being moody or out-of-sort, picking a fight, or not eating properly. With grandma, enemas were a private affair in her bathroom laying across her lap. As we got older, she moved us to the knee chest position on the bathroom floor. Mom however was quite different, if one got an enema, so did the other two. We received our enemas from her in our bedroom laying across a bed together. About the same time grandma started using the knee chest position, mom did likewise, but we were still together in the bathroom. This was the late 40’s thru the late 50’s. Around age eleven, mom started letting us help give each other enemas. Then a year or so later, our RN grandmother taught us personal hygiene an enemas became our responsibility. Before enemas were our responsibility, we were getting on average, three or four enemas a month from mom or grandma. Once enemas became our responsibility we each did them solo, however we quickly learned it was more convenient to give each other enemas. Thats when our usage increased to an average of two or three enemas a week. This ended as we each graduated from High School in the mid to late 60’s. The one constant was enemas whenever one of us was sick. We each got daily enemas from mom or grandma whenever one of us was sick, until it passed. The sick one got an enema in the morning, then again before bed. The other two getting an enema in the evening before bed. Once enemas were our responsibility, the same routine was expected of us. Daily enemas for each until the sickness passed, and twice daily for the sick one. Once on our own, grandma always offer to help whenever we got sick and we accepted her offer most times, but not always. Mom never offered afterwards and we never ask, because grandma told us, she hated getting enemas.

Growing up both our family doctor (I might have had a pediatrician when very young but don't recall) and my mom were firm believers in a warm soapy enema. If mom called the doctor about one of us kids having some ailment and the advice over the phone was to give an enema, the doctor was probably too late because mom had already done that. When I think back to that era, such advice was probably appropriate because it meant that you weren't going to get any meds that upset the whole system, was inexpensive, and every home had the ability to perform the procedure. In our house an enema would be given for nearly any malady, but most often because one of us had not been sufficiently regular, which in mom's eyes meant going three days or longer without a satisfactory BM.

I’ve posted a couple of other times about childhood enemas- my mother‘s family were all great believers in the health benefits of routine enemas for children. One of my aunts was particularly skilled at giving, and I grew to look forward to her visits because I knew that enema duty would be passed to her. Reasons for receiving were, any fever, any constipation, any stomach or bowel complaint, a slight head cold. My aunt would tell me “you wouldn’t leave the ashes in the wood stove, it has to be cleaned out all the time”. And up until I was an early teen, her and my mother kept my lower tract very, very clean!

Mom only had to have a few reasons for me to get a good soapsuds enema. One was after long rides like on vacations, as I wasn't too good at this. A motel enema was no stranger to me once we arrived there before bedtime. She used the bulb when I was younger, but knew she had packed the bag for the rest of the family if needed. The second reason was if I / we kids were sick and off from school. With either a fever or just not feeling well, an enema was always in order after everyone else left that morning. She always gave us a soapsuds enema just in case a doctor's office visit or house call was coming. I still remember one conversation with Mom talking over the phone with the nurse….. “ I already gave him a good soapsuds enema ” she said, asking for guidance. Once everyone got sick, and ( doctor's advice after a house call ) we all got an enema in the morning, before lunch, and right before bedtime. This went on until our fever's / illness subsided. I got to enjoy hearing my siblings going through the same thing that I went through. Pleading, crying, and moaning was universal. The other reason, or at least my reason that Mom thought I needed an enema was just being a cranky kid. I got called into the master bathroom to either find her waiting with the bulb and bowl of soapy water, or later the bag. I was always told that I seemed cranky and this might help. This went on until my 1st year entering High School. Looking back I never put the 2 and 2 together with my siblings until later. Now this is never brought up, but I know. I bring up my anal infatuation now to Mom and her Motherly care.

Our pediatrician must have considered enemas the “universal antidote”. Every time my mother called him when one of us was sick, it was “Give him an enema and call me in the morning”…

The reasons were vague to me. We knew they combined health and comfort, a commonsense intercourse among family members. I do not remember a time without them. None of us children ever complained to each other, nor put up a big whiny objection. They were humbling, but we counted that as good too, as our parents were ever held in highest respect when they were sober. When not sober we left them alone and stayed out of the way till it was over. Dad even would apologize the next day and let us know mom was going to help him live better, which i believe she did. She said to us and others, that she worshiped him because he rescued her.

So the enema was often appreciated as a kind of rescue, though that is not what she was referring to. He was a WW-2 Veteran and she, fatherless during the depression of the 30s.

Then someone asked or remarked here that, no doubt, enemas had left a certain mind set on our forefathers, as many of us are describing to one another on this discussion forum, as well. When my grand parents were in hospital, i was adult with children. Staying with them during their hours of trial was an honor to me. Grandmother was gone and he had been widowed 10 years when i gained opportunity to be with him that way. I was shocked, as he was receiving phone calls all through the wee hours of the morning. On the phone he entered into another world with his old friends. He was comforting people with his voice. Telling them when he got out, he would be right over to help them with that, but to bear with it on their own till then. After 2 days, i was able to connect the dots and realized he was practicing home health care, with those of his age that had lost husbands. He only had a telephone the last 20 years of his life. So this connection he was enjoying, with his elderly neighbors was huge to him and he had given himself to them all.

That, my friends, is the true story of enemas to me, not the jaded exaggerations of the entertainers, though some of it, i admit, is entertaining.

I got them growing up in the ‘50s and ’60s. The reason was always constipation, which I suffered from a lot as a kid. When the constipation got bad enough, I would have debilitating stomach aches. I usually got a mild laxative (milk of magnesia or Castoria) first. However, if that did not work by noon the next day, the enema bag would come out. The summer I was 11, I had several particularly bad bouts of constipation (more than a week without a bowel movement). My parents were concerned enough that they skipped the oral laxative and went right to the enema. They were given with an enema bag with me on my left side in the bathtub. They consisted of about ⅔ to ¾ of a two-quart bag of warm tap water.

I believe mom liked to give me enemas,my older sisters hated them,however I welcomed them especially as a form of sexual gratification during puberty and beyond Into my 20s.