Life expectancy has greatly increased in the U.S. since babies were born circa 1960. The CDC just announced that expectancy now stands at 78. In 1960, it was 70.
Just from 2006 to 2007, babies have the expectation of living three additional months.
This nursery is a replica of one where numerous Selma newborns were cared for in the old Vaughan Memorial Hospital back in the 1950s and 1960s. The building is now a museum with medical exhibits on its third floor. Notice the window behind the incubator. Older siblings of newborns were allowed to climb the outside spiral staircase to get a first look through the window at their new brother or sister.
