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Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

General health

Are maternity units clean enough?

28 replies

binnymk · 25/10/2008 10:40

A couple of weeks ago my 3 week old baby was hospitalised with severe staph aureus septicaemia,a form of impetigo. Numerous people sad it was unusual for a newborn to be infected with this illness. When I asked the drs how he contracted it they said it was just 'bad luck', but after we got out of hospital I discussed it with verious people (including health visitor)and they said it was probably picked up when he was first born, in the maternity unit. I was all set to leave the matter but I've just read about two poor little premature babies who have died in Luton Hospital of an ecoli infection and 7 others had the bug in their gut. Are maternity units clean enough? Interested to hear if anyone else has had a similar experience.

OP posts:

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Samantha28 · 25/10/2008 10:44

hi sorry to hear about your baby's illness. is is possible that he caught it from an older child in your family?

OhNooo · 25/10/2008 10:51

Hi binnymk don't have any experience but wanted to ask you where you read about the ecoli outburst at Luton Hospital. I'm due to deliver there in five weeks time. We have just moved to the area and the only things I've heard of the D&L hospital has been good so you have now given me a bit of a thing to worry about.

TIA

Samantha28 · 25/10/2008 11:12

ohnooo - i don't thinks she is who she says she is. IMO she's a journalist trying to avoid paying MN the fee for media requests and stirring up a bit of anxiety

if you are worried about the hospital, why don't you phone up your GP and ask him/her? Its always possible to transfer to another unit if you want to

TheProvincialLady · 25/10/2008 11:16

Agree with Samantha28.

misdee · 25/10/2008 11:16

e.coli at luton

IME maternity units have been very clean. you do need to remind visitors to wash their hands and use they gel though

OhNooo · 25/10/2008 11:16

Thanx Samantha, just read the articles online in any way. I still have five weeks to go so hopefully any problems would be sorted by then.

OhNooo · 25/10/2008 11:19

Makes you wonder though, you would expect the NICU to be the cleanest place in a maternity unit and then you read something like this.

misdee · 25/10/2008 11:22

NICU generallyu is. but you still get some people who dont follow the hygiene protcols. and i'm not talking about staff

chequersandchess · 25/10/2008 11:31

When DD was 1 week old we were admitted to labour ward of a different hospital to the one she was born in.

We were put in a side room for infection control, as DD hadn't been born there.

However, when they came to clean the room in the morning DH pointed out to me afterwards that all the crud they had swept off the floor - used baby wipes/cotton wool etc had not belonged to us. They'd already been in the room when we got there, there was even the patient survey from the previous patient in the room. the bed had been changed but nothing else, not that clean really IMO.

binnymk · 25/10/2008 15:58

Hi there, just to let you know that I am not a journo, just someone who has been through a bad experience and interested to see if anyone else had had a similar one which is generally one of the purposes of talk forums. And as chequersandchess says, during my spell in hospital when I had my son the area around my bed was never cleaned, just swept. Even one of the midwives said 'I don't trust our floors'. The staff who looked after me were brilliant, I have enormous respect for the midwives, nurses and doctors who worked in the hospital. I am just concerned that, when you hear of tiny babies falling ill, more should be done to improve cleanliness in this part of the hospital. I ceratinly don't mean to stir up trouble, just hear what other mums have experienced.

OP posts:

chequersandchess · 25/10/2008 16:12

Binny, what does the mk stand for in your name? Just wondered if it's the place you live as it's the initials of the hospital I told you about.

chequersandchess · 25/10/2008 16:15

(I'm really sorry your DS was so poorly too, sorry had only skimmed the OP and not picked up on it earlier).

chequersandchess · 25/10/2008 16:20

Only just read the rest of the thread - fgs samantha and theprovincialady leave the poor woman alone. Why can't you give her the benefit of the doubt? She sounds like she's had a terrible time.

Ohnoo - if you are in Beds you could go to Bedford General, they were fantastic there and it was very clean when I had DD in August - it is not my closest hospital but you can go even if you are out of area.

binnymk · 25/10/2008 17:11

Thanks for your support chequersandches. mk stands for Milton Keynes, where I used to live, but it's not where I am now. I wish ohnoo all the best, I'm sorry for any concern I caused you.

OP posts:

chequersandchess · 25/10/2008 17:12

Oh ok binny, I thought it might have been. Milton Keynes was the hospital I was talking about.

TheProvincialLady · 25/10/2008 18:30

All right if I am wrong I apologise but the wording was very journo IMO so it was the conclusion I immediately jumped to. Obviously I am sorry to hear about any sick baby FWIW my maternity ward was immaculate and I still got puerperal fever and was very very ill. I don't think anywhere can be 100% germ free.

SmugColditz · 25/10/2008 18:32

The maternity hospitaal I had my baby in was filthy. I had to clean another woman's blood off the shower floor before I could have a shower.

The hospital I went to for my aftercare was beautiful. I want to go and live there.

SmugColditz · 25/10/2008 18:32

(and how is the provincial lady?)

noavailablename · 25/10/2008 18:46

A recent survey by the London school of hygiene and tropical medicine revealed that up to 53% of people have ecoli on their hands due to not washing their hands after using the lavatory. The survey was carried out by swabbing the hands of members of the public, at bus stops, up and down the country.

I tried to copy and paste the link, but can't get it to work.

TheProvincialLady · 25/10/2008 18:46

(I am well again thanks following a spell in hospital with a kidney infection and another night there with DS last week (chest infection and tonsilitis). You should see me now...I look like a whale with a birthing ball down my jumper. Will fb you.)

noavailablename · 25/10/2008 18:47

It is called "the national hand hygiene study".

Lubyloo · 25/10/2008 18:49

My DD picked up impetigo from the maternity unit when she was born. People would look in the pram ready to coo over her and then recoil when they saw her crusty face.

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Lubyloo · 25/10/2008 18:50

And sorry to hear about your baby. How is he now?

binnymk · 26/10/2008 08:10

Hi Lubyloo, sorry to hear about your DD. My son looked terrible too, and couldn't open his eyes or breath very well due to the crustiness. He also got thrush from the antibiotics so his bum was a mess too. He's fine now though which is a big relief. I just wish we hadn't had to go through this all in the first place. It's good that smugcolditz had a positive experience at her aftercare hospital, I wish they were all like that!

OP posts:

mooa · 26/10/2008 08:37

the safest place to have your baby is at home at least you know how clean it is.

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