to think that a Bounty photo salesperson has no place on a post natal ward?

[Boboli]

Is this the norm nationwide? At our hospital, one of the first people you'll see after you've given birth is a photographer from Bounty who will give you a sales pitch for photos of your newborn. The photos are not cheap and I find it pretty incredible that mums are approached hours after given birth when they are likely not quite in the state of mind to decide on pricy photo packages.

My SIL had the pleasure of this Bounty lady an hour after reaching the post natal ward in the morning having been in labour all night. She had to specifically insist that she did not want her baby woken and photographed.

When had DD1, no-one except birth partners were allowed on the wards because of the swine flu outbreak yet the Bounty lady made it through. In other words, she was allowed to my bedside but my mum wasn't. This can't be right, can it?

I'm sure my forms weren't in the bounty pack because I didn't get a pack - the woman who delivered them arrived when I was having a spectacular post natal melt down

I agree they should be banned- I too had the conversation where I could barely understand due to morphine so she came back next day. Photo was crap

My worst Bounty experience though was when I went for a scan and was given a Bounty pack before hand- there was no hearbeat and I walked out to the car clutching my 'mum to be' pack.

I wrote to the unit that did the scan afterwards and I noticed that at the mext scan I was given the pack AFTERWARDS

Eek! I'm in the minority! My bounty lady was lovely and not pushy at all. She took some nice photos, we couldn't afford them, but we had a free photo keyring and I liked all the free samples :-)

I think though given the amount of people that find it intrusive, perhaps it would he better if the mums went to the bounty lady in a day room!

I really wanted a pic of ds on a plate, I really was that hormonal. Dh was horrified

Valium they dont put child benefit forms in BOUNTY PACKS do they???? SUrely not!!!

I had mine via the HV!

You can apply for child benefit online anyway..

Well when I asked the hv when dd was about 2 months old she said they would have been in the pack. I am sure I could have downloaded them before, but I wasn't that organised.

They do Awkward :(

and they make out if you don't give them your details, take the pack etc you won't get the form.. only by subtle implication but I imagine that's enough, especially just after giving birth when you barely know your own name

I should say this was 5.5 years ago so likely things have changed.

Bloody Bounty Bastard Woman.

Came into our side room, where we were being sequestered in peace and privacy after I had dd2. BBBW didn't say who she was before pumping us for personal info. When she started into what other children did we have we got suspicious and asked who she was. When she persisted, we told her that our older daughter had died just weeks earlier and could she please leave us alone.

BBBW's answer: "Well, you've got a lovely little replacement there."

We complained to ward staff in the hope that she would receive some further training.

Out of interest how much are these rubbish photos?

NHS hospitals contract individuallywitj Bounty and others to allow access to patients on the labour ward. They only get a few thousand a year for most wards IIRC (I think it was mentioned in the Guardian article someone linked to earlier). Some of the experiences detailed here are horrendous and make me really angry. On the other hand, lots of mothers use the photography service because they are genuinely glad it's offered, and quite a lot of people are happy to sell their details for some freebies. I think selling privileged access to vulnerable people is a breach of trust if not backed up by significant safeguards.

Mumsnet all ready has a Campaign for Improved Postnatal Care. This seems to be tied into the whole issue of treating patients with dignity and respect and providing them with information. Perhaps safeguards on access to patients by non-medical staff could be part of that.

i was told point blank with dd1 that i wouldn't be able to claim child ben unless i signed up. she also swore that i wouldn't get any marketing off the back of it, but i gave her the wrong address to be sure. (without banking on my lovely postie putting two and two together when he saw my name and bringing me them anyway). didn't get any photos.

second time round, the girl tried the same shite and i told her to leave the pack inside the door and go away. (politely)

oh zeno that's incalculably awful...

zeno thats awful. I'm so sorry

iloveminieggs - the packages start from about £50!!

I suspect with all the cuts and private enterprises being encouraged to become more involved in the nhs this sort of shit will only get worse. I agree MN should use their influence to help get it stopped.

Child benefit forms can be downloaded from the HMRC website, or collected from the Job Centre.

When I had DC2, I fortunately had to visit the loo when the Bounty woman appeared. DH is very clued up and sharply told her that her services would not be required.
We then sat agog listening to all the other new parents hand over their full contact details, inside leg measurements, etc. At no point did the woman inform anyone that it isn't compulsory, in fact she made it seem like an official procedure, part of registering the birth in fact.

I have to say, the photographer on the wards in my hospital (don't know if she was Bounty or not) was very unpushy - wandered up and down the wards smiling at people and asking if you wanted any pictures taken. I said no, off she went, no problem. Didn't go into any bays unless invited.

I did apparently scare the pants of the Bounty lady when I was in after having DD3 - I'd had an epidural and couldn't get up, so the nurses had popped DD3 into my bed, put the sides up and left me to sleep. Bounty lady had spotted the empty cot and me asleep and went running to find a mw as 'the lady in the end bay is asleep and her baby is gone!' DD3 was tucked under my arm, snoozing happily (and going quietly orange, preparing to be admitted to SCBU later that day, but that's another story!).

Mine barged in with camera and sales pitch. I told her to go and ask Dh in the breakfast room. She then put a Bounty pack on the bed and asked for my details. I refused to give them. Not because I knew who she was but because I didn't like her attitude.

She then took back bounty pack and told me that I wouldn't therefore be able to have the CB forms.

I gave her a look and she put it back on the bed and left.

Yum though. There was a chocolate bar inside!

This never happened to me, when I had Dd I was in and out of hospital in 10 hours! I turned up and went straight to a delivery room, in labour for 6 hours, had DD then we all went home 4 hours later :o

I declined the pack for DC2 and ended up not getting CB for months because in the chaos I forgot. It shouldn't be that to be given the form you have to accept the Bounty pack. I know you can do it without being given the form but that's not the point really is it. Child benefit has nothing whatsoever to do with Bounty. Handing out official stuff like that should not fall to them.

With DC3 I thought I'd got wise and took the pack, and even let her take photos because I was bored and she spent about half an hour entertaining me and telling me how cute my baby was. I never had any intention of buying the pictures, and didn't. Unfortunately I was still foggy enough post birth and a night of no sleep on the ward that I didn't twig that she was taking all my details to sell on to other companies so now I'm getting loads of junk mail. Surely they should ask you if it's ok to pass this information on? Like when you fill in forms they have to provide a tick box. She certainly didn't ask or I would have said no. I'm normally scrupulous about ticking the boxes that say no and so don't have any junk mail addressed to me, apart from now, all this baby stuff!

I never made it to the post natal ward.

CB and bounty pack are in no way linked naughtymummy. I know you know that now, but I think it is important to say that for anyone reading this who is yet to have their first child. So that they know your delay of 6 months was not as a result of not taking the bounty pack. It was because you didn't claim.

There is no delay that occurs as a result of not giving your details to bounty or accepting the bounty pack.

CB is a government benefit and in no way linked to bounty!

You just apply.

Oh, and I told her that having been under maternity care and actually given birth I was quite certain that everyone who needed my details had them.