To Ask for your experiences of post natal wards

[RozziPringle]

Mine was Noisy and hot with incredibly overworked midwives. The most memorable incident was around 12 hours after a c-section i was made to get out of bed to walk along 5 corridors to shower, doubled over in agony. When i told the widwife i wasnt going to make it and i felt faint she tutted and muttered about me been lazy under her breath.
There were some fantastic midwives Don't get me wrong but they seemed few and far between.
Im due to give birth in 3 weeks and im dreading going through all this again

I had forceps delivery. Midwife said "haven't you seen the physio?" as if it was something I could control, apparently I was on the list but the C sections were priority and they couldn't fit me in. I was on the ward for seven days as my baby was in SCBU.

Mayday hospital in Croydon. DS1 was born by ELCS as had IUGR so was taken straight to SCBU. He was born at 10.30 am but i was not allowed to drink for 2 hours despite already having fasted since midnight. eventually i just stopped asking & had a drink anyway. Didn't get to see DS in SCBU until about 6pm as that was the first time they had someone available to take me. I still had a catheter in when they moved me to wheelcahir, this was taped to the side of the bed & not removed when i got in the chair so the pain as it was ripped out of me was excruciating. the next morning a nurse came to change my pad; she wandered off half way through leaving the curtains open round the bed so that i was fully exposed to the rest of the ward. i had been begging for an amenity room due to not wanting to be around other women with babies while DS in SCBU, eventually got one the next day. was sick due to the morphine & had to clear it up myself as no-one came for hours.

My postnatal care was great but I was the only patient in my bay in post natal. The only other woman in was in the high dependency bay after a c section (funnily enough I've met her since at mum and baby group) so there was one to one care available. The bathroom cleanliness was not great but bearable and I only had one night in so got away from it quickly. I was very sore post ventouse and had limited use in my legs due to the pudendal block I had, but the staff were nice to me and helped me get out of bed when the time came. It seems like I am in a minority.

My entire pregnancy was a bit

It wasn't until after DS was born that the midwife who had delivered him asked if I'd had gestational diabetes. DS had weighed 10 lb 3, and I'd been craving sugary things all the way through pregnancy. Yet it seems I was never tested for it, as they could find no reference to it in notes.

Pre-natally I went through 4 different midwifes. I felt this didn't give me time to get to know someone I was effectively trusting to tell me if something was wrong, nor did it give them time to get to know what was normal with my pregnancy.

I was half way through labour and in absolute agony, when I got told to "stop making a fuss". It was then that, after a quick examination, I finally got told DS was "back to back", thus why I was in more pain than I should be. They finally transferred me down to the labour ward (I'd been induced, so was already in hospital)

My midwife who delivered DS was flawless, but maybe that's just in comparrison to the other staff. However, she had to leave quickly after DS was delivered and cleaned up. I was then hooked up to a drip, which was standard after a large baby. I was told I'd be left attatched to this drip for two hours. My parents left at 2pm, after I'd been attatched to the drip for ten minutes. When they returned at 6:30pm, I'd been in the post-natal ward for 20 minutes. I had seen no one since my parents left until I got transferred with DS, who was left in my arms as I was sat in a wheelchair, unable to move. I was afraid to fall asleep in case I dropped him, even though I hadn't slept for over 24 hours. I'd been offered a cold slice of dry toast less than hallf an hour after DS had been born at 13:07, and had been unable to eat it. When I was finally transferred up to the post-natal ward, dinner had been cleared away (thus unable to eat - luckily MIL sent sandwiches with xP, who rather thoughtfully "helped" me eat them) my maternity pad had soaked through, as well as my nightdress and the towel I'd been sat on. I was not offered any advice on how to settle my newborn baby, just told (rather helpfully) not to feed him to sleep. It's all little things that would have made a huge difference... Or in some cases (eg the drip being in my arm, and me being left alone and unable to move with a newborn in my arms for FOUR HOURS!!!) the big things that would have made a big difference. I know some people have had worse experiences than me, but mine was enough for me to say "never again". Three and a half years on, and I haven't changed my mind. My mother said recently that she actually felt my post-natal care had been worse than hers was, 40 years previous when she had DSis.

Oh, prior to the midwife who delivered DS, every single midwife tried to push me into having an epidural, because of the pain; despite the fact my notes said I had a fear of needles, thus didn't want an epidural or any other injection prior to DS's arrival. Every. Single. One.

I was made to feel like a freaking wimp because I couldn't handle the pain, but made to feel I was being unreasonable for refusing an injection, which I knew would have caused me to panic, thus possibly making the birth worse than I felt it already was.

Fekkin abysmal. Blood all over the floor in the loos that stayed there for over 12 hours and the filthiest shower I've ever seen. MWs who frankly seemed like they couldn't be arsed (sat at the nurse's station drinking tea and not answering the buzzer for the poor CS patient opposite me whose DTs were in the SCBU). A bastard with a trolley who came round to ask what pain medication you wanted and then took over an hour to get it to you. Cleaners who made me look like a housework obsessive.

Boiling hot, horribly noisy, one family rooom that - surprise surprise - went to the woman who worked at the hospital rather than to the aforementioned CS patient who cried for hours when her DH had to leave and must've been bloody miserable listening to all our babies crying when hers were on another floor.

The MW who delivered DS didn't notice until the last minute that we were back to back and didn't realise that he had a massive gash in his head from the ventouse until I pointed it out to her. I was left in the sheets that I'd laboured in for three hours and eventually I stripped the bed myself.

They will have to drag me back into that hospital this time (I'm in Cornwall and there is literally no choice). I am going to be so bloody miserable if I don't make it to 37 weeks and can't have a HB; just got to hang on for another 16 days!

Y'know what I don't get... They were the neonates once. Is this how they would have wanted their mothers treated? Really?

I had great care. Had an EMCS, then DS refused to feed so we stayed in longer than planned.

Midwives were fantastic - I was determined to bf, even though DS wouldn't latch on, and I had a midwife helping me for every (attempted) feed. When he finally did it, I felt triumphant! Couldn't have done it without their support.

(The food was good too!)

Can I ask why the midwives tell mothers not to feed to sleep?

Ohhh, I got told it was cos I'd be creating a rod for my own back, he wouldn't learn to self settle, etc...

He was nine hours old, FFS! I didn't EXPECT him to learn to self settle...

My first birth, with my boys, was at Wocester Royal Infirmary (i was moved from my local hospital as it didn't have enough NICU beds available and Worcester was the closest place that did), and i cannot fault the postnatal care i recieved. Because DS1 had died, myself and my DH were given a room specificly for bereaved parents. The midwives who looked after me were wonderful too - answered all my questions and took time out to take me to NICU to see DS2. The only thing i found upsetting was when i was moved from that room to the main ward, although i was given a side ward there was a cot in there, and obviously it was empty. And i didn't have a baby to put in it, because one was dead and the other was fighting for his life in NICU. I know the midwives and nurses were incredibly busy, but one particular midwife came and sat with me one night and shared with me the story of her daughter who had sadly died. She gave me a piece of advice that night that has stayed with me forever. I wish i could thank her now.

After having my daughter the care was ok. Not fantastic, but alright. I'd had a 3rd degree tear and needed a spinal to be stitched up, so i still couldn't move much the next morning. I had to ask for DD to be passed to me, so i could try and feed her.

With DS3, i was put on the post natal ward at 12.30am, a mw came and did blood sugars on ds twice and then woke me up as she was giving him a formula top up - without even asking! I didn't see anyone then until 4.30pm when they told me i could go home.

First two dc were born in a general hospital and the post-natal care was ok, but a bit 'factory-line', doing the minimal.

Second two were born in a midwife led unit. No comparison. One-on-one care, help offered, not asked for. They even took my baby away for a few hours to let me get some sleep. I could stay in for a maximum of 3 days, and even then, there wasn't the pressure to go if I wasn't ready. I'd go for this option every time. If you have a unit near you, use it, especially as a lot of these units seem to be closing down.

Ohh, I breastfed my first to sleep for 2 years but didn't consider it a rod. Besides, what has some midwife got to do with how I feed and bring up my child?

I had the Singaporean nurses say this to me too.

My care throughout my stay in hospital was pretty amazing. Not perfect, but that was down to one rather bitchy nurse, although I gave her the benefit of the doubt and she did redeem herself by finding me some cloths to wash with when we established that my flannel had disappeared somewhere between the delivery room and the ward!
I wanted to go home, but only because I wanted to be with my partner. I got brilliant care and there were many dedicated midwives. On my last night the midwife in charge of the ward was the same who had delivered my DD. That was nice, but I was very grateful when she came in at 2am to tell me the blood from DDs heel prick test had shown that she was not jaundiced and we could go home the next day. I was discharged in time for visiting hours so DH could come get us.
I'm really shocked at the amount of horror stories on here I'm in Oxfordshire and everyone I've spoken to who's given birth in the last 5 years has had a positive experience and no real complaints.

I thought the tories had done away with on line petitions?

I do think we must remember that prospective parents should make some effort to prepare themselves for babies arrival too.

Unless you are one of these people who don't even know you are pregnant until in labour, you've got time to learn some basic baby care + antenatal classes could cover basics; like the way to hold/bath a baby and change it's nappy.

how do you prepare for dirty showers with cold water only and inedequate food or pain relief?

Well you can't, But it's a spurious argument.

I was just pointing out that there are things that you can prepare for.

Unless you are one of these people who don't know they are pregnant until they are in labour, then you have plenty of time to learn some basic baby care.

DD1 - arrived at 10. DH allowed to stay until 11 as my friend was a MW on duty that night. Not told where the light switch was so couldn't make my cubicle dark. Yelled at for feeding wrong; made to feed lying down but had such horrible heartburn on that side I really needed to get up. Rang buzzer for help as hadn't been given any pain killers following a 2nd degree tear and 45 minutes of stitching. Asked what kind of pain killers I wanted when I begged. . No coffee at breakfast, bowl of jams and butter but no toast.

DD2 - different hospital. Arrived at 4 am, lovely MW asked if I was hungry, brought me an extra blanket (it was November and cold - odd but the heating system was new apparently), gently told me off for not sleeping (too excited!) and kept a very careful eye on DD2, who herself was cold. They found her a little hat and extra blankets. Wandered off to the breakfast room in the morning, and the lady there told me to help myself even though she wasn't fully set up yet. Good support with bf-ing, although one MW did liken bf-ing to eating salad, whereas ff was like eating a MacDonalds . I still feel guilty for mixed feeding.

Care during labour was fine in both cases, btw.

In my experience the kind of 'learning' you get to do before birth (unless you have access to a real live newborn, which most prospective parents don't) really doesn't prepare you for actually caring for an actual baby. It's not the same, and add to that you've just gone through an intense, knackering, sometimes traumatic experience, having put a nappy on a doll in an antenatal class is sod all help when it really comes down to it.

OOPS I thought that 1st post hadn't worked cause my puter froze.

time for bed I think.

DD1 Paid for single room ? £100 a night!!! Stayed for two nights for meconium checks but only got charged for one (didn't ask questions). Had my own bathroom and DH could come and go as he pleased which was great. Day staff were lovely and showed us how to do nappy/bath etc. Night witch woman was awful when I fell over and hurt my back. Although spent all day, until about 4.30pm, waiting for baby checks to be discharged.

DS1 Different hospital. Was allowed to come back the next day for baby checks so left three hours after giving birth having spent about 45mins on the post-natal ward. There was only one other woman in there who'd had a c-section and I think she was quite disappointed as she thought she was getting some company!

PN care at Royal Shrewsbury was OK. I just didn't want to be there, I'd wanted a homebirth as I HATE hospitals, and had wanted to avoid intervention - specifically epidural and had huge fear of ending up with forceps or getting a 3rd degree tear. Ended up with the lot plus PPH and MROP to boot :(

Went onto ward at about 9am. Hadn't eaten since 7am the day before. DH went home, I sat in bed cuddling DD. Was woken at 10am-ish by a lovely HCA who suggested I put DD in her cot and got some proper sleep, and she'd put a sandwich by for me in the ward fridge ready for when I wanted it as I'd missed breakfast :)

The ward was too hot (OK, babies are crap at regulating their temperature, but when the mothers get home or have a homebirth they won't have stupidly hot homes, and it is drummed into mothers that overheating is more dangerous to babies than being a bit cool)

Wasn't allowed the curtains closed during the day even though I wanted nothing more than to fuck the rest of the ward off and have some time to myself.

MW came to me in the night when I buzzed and DD wouldn't stop crying, said it was probably because she could smell my milk and that if she did it at home then get DH to take her for a bit. I don't think she did anything else as DD went quiet.

Once the catheter was out the following morning, went for a shower but no-one kept an eye on me from the bed to the shower room (which was clean - old and generally grim, but clean) in case I stumbled, and I was terrified at leaving DD unattended as her ASBO tag kept falling off her skinny leg. No-one told me that I'd have to collect my own meals or eat them in the communal dining area (I'd have rather eaten at my bed with DD there, rather than in a room so far away I couldn't hear her cry)

One MW told me I'd 'never be the same again down there' and then gave me a letter for the perineal trauma follow up clinic for 6 MONTHS time (instead of the recommended 6 weeks) and told me that I wouldn't get another reminder letter. Hours post-partum is not the time to give women important appointment reminders. The letter got put away, and forgotten about until Christmas when I discovered it. Fortunately I've not suffered any sort of incontinence or sexual issue since.

On the whole,really good. Lovely staff..shitty food though,couldn't eat it.(My fab mum brought me a roast chicken,french stick,salad,chocci etc go mum!)
The first 2 I had a private room,which was great.
The third,I was on a ward and oh my,it was noisy. The woman opposite snored like a bear and all the babies screamed all night..I was exhausted and couldn't wait to get home.
Couldn't fault the care,though

All the same hospital, Colchester General. My advice - if you are pregnant in Colchester - MOVE!

DD, 1998 - Treated awfully, had had undiagnosed pre-eclampsia, pre-natally had a mw tell me - "oh, most babies die from that, and so do a lot of mothers" Told to stay on bed-rest but given no help when I needed the loo - was a 16yo, told to stay in bed, I didn't get out, ended up in so much pain from needing the loo I was crying. In labour I had an EVIL mw, who refused me a second shot of pethidine 6 hrs after the previous one telling me baby will be there soon so you don't need it. DD wasn't delivered for another 8 hrs. She wouldn't connect the G&A either. Post-natally I wanted to bf, asked (same, EVIL mw from delivery) to show me how to latch DD on, got told "16yo's don't bf, I'll get you a bottle" I refused so she called me a stupid little slag! (I did end up bf DD for 6 months, despite her!) I wrote a complaint, and also had put on my notes that if I had any more dc, she wasn't to be assigned to me.

DS1, 2002 - Went into delivery, kept getting sent home, despite being stuck at 4cm for over 48hrs, having contractions every 5 mins. After 48 hrs, I REFUSED to go home, and asked for some pain relief. Who should walk in but EVIL mw from DD's delivery. Carrying 2 paracetamol. She turned to me and said "oh, see you're still a slapper then, 2 kids by different dads at 20". I shuffled out to desk, pointed out that she was NOT to be assigned to me, got new mw. Who refused to listen when I said baby was stuck, something was wrong. Turned out he was face up WITH his hand on his head, he CAME OUT LIKE THAT. I was told after that I should have had a c-sec. Due to previous experience, I made damn sure I was in and out of post-natal within 6 hrs of his birth. Looked dirtier though.

DS2, 2003 - Was left alone for most of labour. Taken up to post-natal, and went to loo. It looked like a scene from a horror movie. Hobbled to mw desk, and asked for loo to be cleaned. Got laughed at. Got no help with ds2, he wasn't bf right, (turns out he was TT but wasn't picked up till he was 3yo). Asked to be discharged. Took 4 FUCKING DAYS to get a paed to come to check him so I could be discharged. I got through PACKETS of baby wipes trying to wipe everything clean. Swore I'd never have any more dc as I have no option locally but to go to this hospital.

DS3, 2011 - Was kept while labouring in a waiting room with no pain relief as all delivery rooms were full. In the end I was CRYING at the mw desk for some pain relief. They wheeled one woman out of a delivery room, then told me to go in. Had to stand while someone changed the sheets, the silver bowl under the bed still had the last woman's placenta in (!), there was blood over the bed, was left on my own, so DP and I had to FIND the anti-bac wipes in an unlocked cupboard and wipe down the bed, call button, floor and isolette! Was left on my own for most of labour, then only a student MW near the end, who refused to call the proper mw when I said I needed to push, leaving ex-DP no option but to go INTO another room to get her! She got in the room to catch DS3 as he came out.

Post-natal care was better than it had previously been, but nighttimes were crap. If it had been my first, I think I would have been VERY overwhelmed. As it was, I knew carrying on with BF should clear ds3's jaundice, as it wasn't severe - If it had been my first I would have panicked. Food was awful. unidentifiable - except for the vegetable soup that looked like dirty washing up water (and tasted of it too!). Toilets were still disgusting. I got no help with bf, it would have helped me if ds3's TT was looked for when he was in hospital, instead of me having to dx it myself. (was snipped in London when ds3 was 10 wks). Also Community mw care cut to the core here - as wasn't my first, I had ONE visit when ds3 was 4 days old, then was discharged from MW care. No advice about his ongoing jaundice, or about why my milk still hadn't come in. (down to TT, obviously!).

I've also spent time on the respiratory ward there. When I almost died of pneumonia 18 months ago. My only advice is DON'T. That ward was even worse - no-one answering buzzers when elderly ladies with pneumonia need the loo. I was on an oxygen mask to breathe, and I was having to detacvh myself to feed the elderly ladies, food was put out of their reach with no help. I was taking them to the toilet as no-one answered their buzzer. Someone tried to inject me without explaining anything, I ended up in hysterical tears and discharging myself AMA.

Just don't get ill in Colchester. Or want to give birth.