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Original poster

If your breastfeeding and you need to stay in hospital can you bring your baby?

58 replies

Inyourfacebidisg · 04/01/2025 11:02

Hypothetical question, if you had sepsis or chest pains that required overnight observation, would you be able to bring your baby if you were breastfeeding?

If you can’t do they provide a breast pump?

OP posts:
fridaynight1 · 04/01/2025 14:30

They wouldn’t allow my baby to stay with me. After baby was born I developed a blood clot and A&E tried to get me admitted back onto postnatal ward but they wouldn’t allow it because baby was over 28 days. She was 30 days old.
DH bottle fed her at home. Upsetting to be separated but probably for the best. I wasn’t very well, not allowed to get out of bed and on a lot of painkillers.
Even if I could have cared for her I wouldn’t have wanted her there - far too many germs.

CoraTheExplora · 04/01/2025 14:38

No

CelticPromise · 04/01/2025 14:45

Yes it is good practice to allow this, and in circs where you are too unwell to bf lactation should be supported like any other bodily function- yes even in ICU, to avoid mastitis and support restarting bf. Another adult should be allowed with you to look after baby.

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Xiaoxiong · 04/01/2025 14:51

My appendix burst when DS1 was 4 weeks - I was far too ill to take care of him on my own in hospital and I was on so many antibiotics I had to pump and dump for ages. This is also when we discovered he didn't like frozen and defrosted breastmilk so he went onto formula.

Once I was out of hospital and off medications I exclusively nursed him again, I didn't lose much supply and quickly got up to speed again.

Xiaoxiong · 04/01/2025 14:53

They did bring in a super duper breast pump for me on a little trolley that stayed in my room for the duration of being an inpatient.

changecandles · 04/01/2025 14:54

Pottydrivinguspot · 04/01/2025 11:27

I don’t get why some people are so savage about this. Clearly there’s a spectrum - if you’re in ICU on life support.. probably not. Broken leg? They could arrange a side room. A tiny infant who can’t take food and won’t take a bottle could get very ill being away from their mother so all efforts should be taken to keep them together.

Totally. It's weird how strident people are and how convinced they are of their answer even when lots of other people have had different experiences than them 😂

changecandles · 04/01/2025 14:55

Anewuser · 04/01/2025 13:42

I wonder whether the positive posters have only been in hospital when beds and side rooms are freely available?

Each time we’ve been in, there’s been an enormous wait in A and E (last one 36 hours) to even find a bed in the hospital, let alone a side room.

At the moment, the majority of side rooms will be for infectious patients.

So the answer is as often the case 'it depends'.

elliejjtiny · 04/01/2025 14:56

It really depends on how long you will be in hospital for, how old the baby is, whether you can look after the baby etc. My 2nd youngest dc was in and out of hospital a lot from birth to 4 and I was taking my youngest with me as well from when he was newborn up until about 15 months, including being in his pram in the anaesthetic room.

I had a minor operation when my dc3 was 11 months old. He didn't come with me but I was only in hospital for about 4-5 hours so I felt it was better for him to be with his grandparents and older brothers.

I was encouraged to pump for my baby and also breastfeed when I had sepsis, I didn't think there was anything wrong with that.

I find it a bit weird that after a c section which is major surgery, women are encouraged and expected to look after a newborn straight away, but they shouldn't look after a baby after any other kind of surgery. Obviously an active 8 month old would be a nightmare to look after straight after major surgery and on some wards it wouldn't be appropriate to have a baby there but in general if a woman isn't capable of looking after an approximately less than 3 month old baby in hospital after surgery equal to or less than a c-section then maybe we should be thinking about the high expectations we put on women after c-sections and difficult vaginal deliveries.

ueberlin2030 · 04/01/2025 14:57

Inyourfacebidisg · 04/01/2025 11:02

Hypothetical question, if you had sepsis or chest pains that required overnight observation, would you be able to bring your baby if you were breastfeeding?

If you can’t do they provide a breast pump?

No, of course not. I'm not sure pumping would be a good idea with sepsis either.

Writerscompanion · 04/01/2025 14:59

I was recently hospitalised for a bad mastitis infection to have IV antibiotics. I am breastfeeding a toddler who is great on solids and takes a bottle. A lot of the HCPs I saw were poorly informed about breastfeeding (one doctor got mastitis confused with mastoiditis and asked me which ear it was in) but the doctor who looked after me in A&E was fantastic. He checked how old my baby was 'to see if she would need to be admitted with me', of course I said she wouldn't as she's much better out of hospital with Dad at her age but this led me to think if she'd been a newborn then they would have made it work. Of course with mastitis the protocol is to feed normally so this would have been in my health interest too. He sourced me a hospital grade pump from maternity, made sure I had use of a store room with a bed in to pump privately while I was in A&E, and made sure the nurses and porters knew I had to be admitted to the ward with the pump. If not for him it would probably have been the end of BF for us and I'm glad it wasn't.

WonderingWanda · 04/01/2025 15:03

Mayne things have changed, or maybe it depends on the hospital. 12 years ago but my dd had to go back into hospital at 4 months I was allowed go and stay with her and they fed me meals because I was bf her, and made me a bed and brought endless cups of tea. They also provided a hospital pump when she had to be sedated

Greybeardy · 04/01/2025 15:04

depends entirely on the scenario (inc age of the baby, actual diagnosis and how sick the mother is, whether any drugs have been needed that are not safe for BF, whether pt's partner/someone else can be at the bedside to support caring for the baby, whether there's other logistic reasons it's not possible, blah blah blah). Most hospitals will have a standard policy and most hospitals will try and support it where it's safe/wanted/not going to interfere with anyone else's treatment.

Mammyloveswine · 04/01/2025 15:04

I had my baby in with me when I had a breast abscess... he was 7 weeks old. Had to give him formula due to the meds I was on but I did pump too. We were in for a week in a side room and it was my first Mother's Day on the Sunday so I got a special breakfast and my husband was given a Sunday dinner too so it was actually quite nice even though I was so poorly! All the nurses took a shine to my ds and would take him for little walks to the nurses station. I was on a specialist ward though so it wasn't manic like a&e and it was almost 10 years ago!

FrannyScraps · 04/01/2025 15:05

I was quite poorly ds was about 10 days old, I needed CT scans and surgery.

I was placed on the maternity ward and they even looked after ds for me so DH could accompany me to various other departments for diagnosis and treatment. (Turns out I had a large blood clot).

Original poster
Inyourfacebidisg · 04/01/2025 16:35

Thank you for the replies. I am breastfeeding but baby is also weaning. I’ve only left her for 2 hours as she feeds on-demand. It’s good to see that some hospitals do facilitate this.

I mentioned sepsis because my friend got readmitted a few days after giving birth and breastfed, so I know that you can bf when you have that. But I wanted to know about older bf babies.

OP posts:
Unexpectedlysinglemum · 04/01/2025 21:24

If people can give birth at your hospital they should have breast pumps etc on site. I think someone would need to bring your baby to you to feed thoigh.

Unexpectedlysinglemum · 04/01/2025 21:25

Ayechinnyreckon · 04/01/2025 11:35

There's too many variables. But very young babies with a mother who is not in a life-threatening condition then lots of hospitals do allow this. You'd need to speak to the department/ ward you'd be placed on.

Exactly - look at all the mums that have to stay in hospital due to birth injuries etc

Toddlerteaplease · 04/01/2025 21:27

beckslovestimmy · 04/01/2025 11:15

I work in cardiology and we've had a few mums and baby's over the years. We always arrange a side room and are happy for you to bring baby. Maternity bring down a crib. We cannot care for the baby so visiting restrictions are lifted so dad or others can help. We've had non breast fed babies too (very young) and the children's ward have provided us with cold water sterilisers.

We've occasionally provided cots and sterilisers and other baby stuff. Adult wards. But it's not common.

Lemonade2011 · 04/01/2025 21:29

If you’re able to care for them yes, I got to keep my baby when in hospital they were great too. No one else had to stay to help me. He was a very chill easy baby too which helped. I guess it depends on the circumstances and if there are side rooms etc but you’d hope they’d try to keep baby with you if they could and you could care for them. There will be a protocol I guess.

Happierthaneverr · 04/01/2025 21:31

Probably not in every scenario but I’ve known it happen before on a few occasions.

stargirl1701 · 04/01/2025 21:34

Yes.

There is an Infant Feeding Specialist in every hospital who does this as part of her role.

BotterMon · 04/01/2025 21:35

DD was hospitalised with lacerated liver with internal bleeding and wasn't allowed baby in hospital so had to give up breastfeeding; was during covid so no visitors and not allowed to pump as couldn't give it to anyone. Awful time for them. Quite inhumane actually.

Thea43 · 04/01/2025 21:38

I’m really shocked by some of the responses on this thread, as if breastfeeding is just an optional fancy?? I know some people may choose to bottle feed and I respect your decision if that’s the case, but that shouldn’t make being a breastfeeding mother and baby a trivial thing as some people clearly seem to think it is !! For something that halves the risk of SIDS not to mention a whole range of other benefits for both mother and baby then I think there has to be a jolly good reason to deny it. My baby wouldn’t take a bottle anyway so expressing isn’t an option. Glad to hear from actual NHS staff who have facilitated mothers and baby’s remaining together

whatsgoingon2024 · 04/01/2025 21:39

There are so many variables to consider but the hospital should make every effort to accommodate. It will depend on a number of factors. How well you are is one of the most important. What treatment you need is another factor. Where to put you is another element that needs consideration, people saying a side room are correct but equally these are always so hard
to come by. If I was stuck in A&E with a breast fed baby I would send baby home if it was a long wait. I just wouldn’t want them in that environment and I can guarantee there will be a number of patients waiting on beds just as deserving as another who needs a side room. They should weigh up safety etc but they should allow it if it’s possible.

Autumnalmists · 04/01/2025 22:10

I was in a busy surgical assessment ward for 2 days, no side wards there. I needed strong if antibiotics also then before being sent to a main ward and could not breastfeed on them at all. Thus ended my breastfeeding as far too dangerous to feed the baby.

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