AIBU to think that the majority of women in the UK get very good postnatal care

[Wheelsonthebus123]

Clearly the other thread demonstrates that for a significant number of women postnatal care is falling massively short of where it should be. My experience earlier this year and that of most women who I have spoken to who gave birth locally (in the same hospital as me ) was that of nothing but praise for the midwifes, doctors and service as a whole. I personally had planned to try for a home birth to avoid the hospital experience altogether but was transferred into hospital at the last minute and ended up on the postnatal ward for 3 nights, the first two of which were required medically. The third night I choose to stay in due to the high level of care and support I was receiving for help establishing breastfeeding which like for many had a problematic and rocky start. This was at a big city hospital with lots of patients not a small birthing centre. Anyone else think that the postnatal service they received personally was first class and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of care?

[startwig1982]

Having been induced with both my dc, I had to go to the big city hospital which I didn't really want to go to. Both times I had a private room and fantastic care. Although I didn't stay in either time as I just wanted to go home, I had brilliant experiences with nothing I'd want to change.
Not quite what you're asking, op, but sort of!

[FishWithABicycle]

I did have a positive experience mostly (though I did have really poor nutrition for the 5 days I was in) It was also amazing that my complicated birth and aftercare was all paid from our taxes and there was no co-pay or care decisions made on the basis of insurance status - I love the NHS.

We obviously hear the negative stories more loudly than positive ones, because when people are traumatised they need to be able to tell their story.

You can't say whether it's majority positive or majority negative from anecdotal evidence, I'm sure research exists on the ratios. However, even if it's true that more women have positive experiences than negative ones, that's not good enough. These negative experiences ought to be so very rare that they are shocking when they happen and trigger at least an internal investigation in the hospital. Not accepted as par for the course.

[WastingMyYoungYears]

YABU unreasonable to extrapolate from your sample size of 1 to 'the majority of women'.

The plural of anecdote is anecdotes, not data.

[WastingMyYoungYears]

See^, double unreasonable .

[Wheelsonthebus123]

Well yeah that's kinda why I posted to increase the sample size.... I am also including the sample size as mentioned in op of women with babies born around the same time as me who I've chatted to on the matter in real life, so maybe 20-30 women with 2014 babies

[wanderingcloud]

Sorry but YABU. Like a lot of women on the other thread my experience was negligent at best, borderline abusive at times. However, I have never talked about it openly with friends and acquaintances because it was traumatic enough that I just prefer to stick to the details. You have no idea how many of the people you know are in the same position as me. You say you had a good experience (and most women you know) therefore the rest of the UK must be similar. I could extrapolate and say I had a horrendous experience and so did many others so the majority must be similar. As PP said "plural of ancedote is anecdote" we are both wrong.

[Wheelsonthebus123]

Yeah I'm not sure really what my question is and yes I guess it's true that if say 1% are unhappy with care and 99% happy that still in terms of numbers a lot of unhappy women who should have received a better service. I guess I just wanted to stick up for the service as a whole as it always seems very negative when the bad experiences of a few get a lot more coverage than the good experiences of the many

[seastargirl]

I don't think I mentioned my negative experience to any of the people I met via antenatal or baby groups. A fear of seeming like the moaning or negative one when you're trying to make new friends and not wanting to burst into tears in front of people I hardly knew meant it was easier just not too comment. So I wouldn't assume that all of your acquaintances found everything perfect.

[christinarossetti]

Not sure of the point of this TAAT.

No-one on the other thread was arguing that poor post natal care is a majority experience.

This comes over as trying to sidetrack from the horrific trauma and neglect that posters,have detailed on that thread.

[Wheelsonthebus123]

Sorry to have caused offence not my intention I accept AIBU

[Schoolaroundthecorner]

Why don't you post this on the other thread OP if you think it needs balance? No need for a separate thread. If you had a good experience you can just post about it over there.

[christinarossetti]

Although if you want to talk numbers, I think it's fair enough to say that estimating 1% to have had a poor experience is somewhat off the mark.

[wanderingcloud]

I have never made any formal complaint, judging from the thread many others also didn't feel strong enough to complain. I would argue bad experiences that aren't extremely severe are massively underreported leading to any official data being skewed.

[christinarossetti]

Fair enough OP.

[Pyjamaramadrama]

I think that yabu, I don't really talk in rl about my bad experience, neither did I report it.

To guess that 1% of women are unhappy and receive inadequate care comes across as if you are downplaying it as a minority that doesn't really matter.

[zoemaguire]

It depends on the hospital doesn't it! All you can say is that luckily for you you have an excellent local hospital where the majority of women get good PN care. Where I live, I can guarantee that the majority don't. I know this because almost every mother I know gave birth there! And having experienced it 3 times it's clear the PN ward has major systemic problems that seriously impact on care for almost all the women passing through.

[MsVestibule]

My experiences were OK, at best. First time round, nice midwives at the birth, after care in the hospital almost non-existent because (I presume) there just weren't enough. Second time round, the first two midwives I had were delightful, the third one was a complete cow who did her best to make me feel as stupid as possible.

So, a fairly mixed bag. I didn't complain about either experience as it didn't seem bad enough. But YABU to assume the majority have a good experience. Your 'survey' is based on people giving birth in one hospital. I am genuinely pleased you and your fellow new mothers had a good care but no, my guess would be that the majority would say theirs were tolerable, which is hardly a ringing endorsement.

[ShadowKat]

I was happy with the post-natal care I received in the hospital.

However, I have no idea how the majority of women feel. I know some women don't get good post-natal care, but I don't know how many they are as a proportion of all mothers.

I really don't think you can make sweeping statements about the majority experience unless you're able to make reference to a large scale study on this.

[tobysmum77]

i think yabu not least because all women should get proper access to a feeding consultant to claim post natal support is high quality.

Also even if your statement was true it would only mean 51% as a minimum. Totally unacceptable for 49% to not.

[CalleighDoodle]

For a free service i think it is amazing. I had a home birth (with three midwives at one point) with my first. I had a bc birth with my second but due to an emergency with me after the birth, we were then rushed for surgery to the hospital in the next town. After that one i had visits and phone calls from the head mw for several weeks to check i was ok emotionally and i could have counselling or just a chat about it whenever i liked. I was fine. I hadn't even realised at the time how serious it was. Thats how calm the mws all were. In my notes during the decline in my health it says 'all mws present in room.' So i guess for other labouring women at the bc at that time they were not getting the care they might have expected for that brief time as they were all stopping me from dying!

[CalleighDoodle]

I had breast feeding support after first child and i took breastfeeding support wherever i could find it.

With my second the bf support woman kept coming into my room despite me telling her i didnt need her and was perfectly fine.

[hiccupgirl]

I had fantastic care before and during the birth but not so great once I was moved to the postnatal ward. Not that the care was awful, just clearly they were very busy and there wasn't any time to spend more than a few seconds on me.

I had to be re admitted for 2 days 5 days after giving birth due to very high blood pressure and again the care was fine but I was clearly an inconvenience, taking up a bed with a 5 day old baby.

Technically it's also not a free service as we all pay taxes that fund it but obviously it's pretty amazing that we don't have to pay any kind of top up fee for maternity care.

[GreenEyedMonster14]

I've given birth in 2 different hospitals at opposite ends of the country. I spent 2 nights in both.

Postnatal ward of the first hospital was horrific. I get teary just thinking back to that time. I discharged my self at the earliest opportunity. (2am after blood results came back!) didn't get any help with breast feeding. When I did ask for help the doctor told me she would bring me some top up formula, which luckily I didn't need as it never turned up. Had to beg for blood soaked sheets to be changed. Horrible experience all round.

Second hospital was AMAZING. breast feeding lady spent ages with me and came back to see me every day. ( I wasn't even having problems) tea and biscuits were brought round for me and visitors 3 times a day. A physiotherapist came round to see everyone after the birth to give some advice on pelvic floor exercises ect.

So weird how different they were.

[MistAndAWeepingRain]

YABU to extrapolate that the majority of women have 'very good' postnatal care. Unless you are proposing to fund an independent research study, you cannot possibly claim this.

FWIW I would describe my postnatal care (2 DCs) as 'adequate'. I had straightforward births and I was left to get on with it mostly. After I was discharged I didn't see the same community midwife twice. I found that unsettling. Several of them were brusque to the point of rudeness too. I was cared for adequately. But no more than that.

[Annietheacrobat]

Abysmal perinatal care with my first. Different hospital for DD2 and had a fantastic experience.