Snoring on hospital ward. Losing.my.mind.

[Travellingatthespeedoflight]

A moan. I had a baby today (!) and thanks to a some beast snoring at a ridiculous volume in our bay in the postnatal ward, no sleep is happening. I also happen to be in the bay next to the sink, where the light is brighter than the sun.

Send help! I am here until Friday at least.

Didn’t you plan for this? Noise cancelling headphones phones and an eye mask are needed urgently.

Huge sympathies OP, I’m pretty sure enduring the ward for a few nights started my post natal depression. Baby was born with a heart problem so I couldn’t just leave. The constant snoring, bright lights, all 4 babies waking each other up all night. It’s awful. Hope you get to escape soon 🌷

I really feel for you, I can't sleep in the same room as my DH because of his snoring, if it was someone else keeping me awake I'd be incandescent with rage.

When did this become a thing, having men staying overnight on post natal wards?
I get that they might be helpful but not really if they're not even awake.

Tell your husband to go and buy you an actual eye mask and ear plugs, you shouldn't need to be making a makeshift eye mask out of a towel.

With my c section, there was an 1hr30 between the time my son was born and me being sent to postnatal ward by myself. This included the time it took to stitch me up.

There are not enough staff on postnatal wards to help, and often fewer staff at night. I was exhausted and in shock but also hardly move and was bedbound, needed help to reach my baby every time he cried. They didn’t come when i rang the buzzer for help, didn’t help me with feeding or give a shit that he didn’t latch, left water out of my reach. Delayed taking my catheter out and then wouldn’t help me get out of bed to get changed. I bled all over the floor because i couldn’t bend down to get a maternity pad out of my bags which had been left on the floor. They also messed up with drugs they had given me and tried to double dose me. So yes with the current state of the NHS care, you need someone else there.

You have my sympathy. My eldest is 24 and I can vividly remember a woman opposite whose baby was in the nursery having all of her extended family to visit. I knew so many details of her life and never even saw her. 24 years on I have not forgotten or forgiven!!!

Eye mask and ear plugs are an excellent suggestion but I also learned to sleep on my side with an arm up over my exposed ear because of my baby's mooching noises so that I didn't wake at every sound she made.

Congratulations btw.

I’m so glad there was visiting hours and no men when I had my baby.

Op if it looks like that family are staying another night, are you able to talk to the midwives about the situation? Maybe then can suggest someone else stays with the mum instead. I would offer to stay overnight to help one of my friends or loved ones without hesitation.

On behalf of us snorters all l can say is sorry.

I also struggled and I didn’t have an easy birth but I understood why men weren’t allowed on the maternity ward at night. OP’s experience is one of the main reasons why men aren’t allowed to stay.

I’m incredulous that all these men are there overnight. I had my babies over 20 years ago and this just didn’t happen then.

Women also snore so sorry, i’m not buying it. The issue is that currently, the health of women and babies are at risk because of shit nhs care. So someone needs to be allowed to stay with them.

This is why I insisted on a water birth with the midwife’s. I had a private room. Any chance you could go home early OP? Could someone bring you noise cancelling earphones & a sleeping mask.

I was in with a week after my first child and I had barely any sleep for 3 days. I asked to be moved to a single room as I was soexhausted, I had to pay (about £30 to £40 I think - 20 yrs ago). It was so worth it though. Maybe you could see if this is an option. No men were allowed to stay overnight then, I'm surprised they are allowed, they shouldn't be.

Had no idea men are allowed to sleep on post natal wards! It was some time ago, but I remember being half naked one way or another during my stay. I wouldn’t like that at all.

I quite agree. Why are we allowing these selfish gits to take over a MATERNITY ward. Get a midwife and gang up on him.

He needs to be gone!

I really don't understand this attitude. I wish my husband has been able to stay overnight! During the day he did everything for me, got me everything I needed, refilled my water, changed all nappies, I didn't lift a finger. He held the baby so I could sleep. When he left at night I was awake most of the night as the baby wouldn't settle in a crib. There were other men in the ward during the day, we pulled the curtains and I ignored them and they ignored me. This is 2025 I'm not some damsel who's afraid of men.

I think it’s a shame how men are getting a general bashing here because one of them is snoring tbh. Many men are great and much needed support.

I recently had to stay overnight in hospital with my DC2 and it was the little kids making all the noise, including my own DC who was screaming. Not the dads looking after them.

This selfish man is as much use as a choclate tea pot as he is asleep and no use at all. Selfish, entitled behaviour.

Yeah and he should be asked to leave. The mum should be given an option for someone else to come and support in his place, rather than taking the attitude of ‘hey let’s ban all men and paint them all as useless’

A friend had a terrible stay because people would come in with kids, allow those kids to peep behind curtains and generally mess around. Its not a playground and if you cannot control them then they cannot come.

THE END!

Congratulations!!

I had my first when Covid restrictions meant no one allowed to stay overnight on the ward, only visiting hours 2-8pm. Felt pretty brutal being alone for so long with my first , but compared to the hell that was my second baby experience and dealing with other people’s husbands I think it should be the norm.

3 nights of men taking calls on speakerphone late into the night, scrolling and playing games on phones with no headphones, repeatedly using the ladies only loo. Absolutely vile experience. My own husband was home with our toddler so no benefit for me.

Hope you managed some rest and get home soon xx

Congratulations on your baby you will be home soon. Stay in your nightie as long as possible at home to signal that you are not doing housework yet!

As a snorer I have a terror of falling asleep in public. It's not just the snoring, it's the drooling too, and the pretend running in my sleep. Is he drooling?

I think it's incredibly self centred for him to stay - he'll know he snores.

BIL is a horrendous snorer and he and SIL both decided he wouldn't be staying over after DN's birth as it wouldn't be fair on anyone. Partners are actively encouraged to stay in our local maternity hospital, but they explained when asked that nobody wants BIL sleeping anywhere near them.

Men shouldn't be routinely allowed to stay in the ward overnight. It should be a privilege, not a right, for those who can sit quietly and help their partners. This is ridiculous. Why on earth aren't wards getting a grip of selfish visitors and booting them out?

You have my sympathies OP.
When my DS was born 18 years ago, I ended up on the ward from hell. It was unbearablely hot; not warm, sweat inducing heat, even in the thinnest pyjamas. My bay was the sink bay and EVERYONE used it to wash hands at all hours -including male visitors who was gawk at me breastfeeding or smile awkwardly. The bloody curtain wasn't big enough to cover the whole bay so was always open. I couldn't relax or sleep at all.
The bay opposite were so noisy and ordered a massive, smelly takeaway and had visitors spilling out despite being told by the midwife people had to leave. They just ignored her.
I had zero care because the the staff were so busy.
Men were using the womens toilet constantly despite being told not to.
I actually told them I was leaving 8 hours after DS was born and the midwife I spoke to was surprised I didn't want to stay longer 🙃 😂 hell on earth!