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?

But my subsequent birth plans stated in capitals.

NO BOUNTY, with the addition of should there be a risk then a large sign should be attached to the door/curtain.

The Bounty photographer who came after ds2 was a much older lady but she did say I would regret it if we never bought the photographs.
I asked her to come back once I looked more human less zombie but she never did.
Nor did she leave a Bounty pack.

I agree it's wrong that anyone selling anything is allowed in.

Although the Bounty woman who came to see our ward after ds1 was born was the ONLY person who noticed I was really unwell, and tried to get something done about it.

I couldn't pick up ds who was crying because I couldn't stop being sick from the epidural. She was shouting 'will someone help this poor woman?!' She didn't try and sell me anything either.

I liked her. Bloody USELESS nurses I had though and nasty HC assistants and one ortwo nice doctors...it was like being in a minor version of hell, that's why I had dc2 at home.

Booking in midwife this pg was funny. She had a bounty bin. When I booked she took the back, held it over said bin and asked me if I wanted my junk mail.

the stories here are OUTRAGEOUS! I am on behalf of poor zeno and the other women on here who were duped and upset.....the VERY least that needs to happen is that the CB forms are NOT put in those packs...why can't HV hand them out???

Or clinics? MN HQ are you hearing all this?

When I went in to have DS3 6 months ago, I thought I was all clued up and prepared for the Bounty onslaught, having been there twice before. No such luck. Just after visiting hours had finished, a woman came in in a tonic top that was almost the exact shade of the midwives uniforms and carrying the same sort of clipboard. She started by asking the babies name and it was only when she asked for my name that I twigged who she was and looked a bit closer at what she was wearing to see that it was only a close approximation of the staff uniform, not actually a uniform itself.

The poor woman opposite me was really distressed by her though. She (the woman opposite) was Polish and didn't speak a huge amount of English, it was after visiting so her husband who had been translating for her had gone and the Bounty woman kept on at her about the CB forms, saying "you want the forms, you want to get all the lovely benefits" while the poor woman kept saying she didn't get benefits, she worked, she wasn't like that etc. My finger nearly fell off from smacking the call button to get someone to boot the bounty woman out.

The Bounty lady got me about 4 hours post birth - I'd had a 2 hour labour after being over a week overdue and there had been lots of blood as I'd dilated so quickly so I think I was in shock. I'd also had precious little sleep and I think I'd been on the ward for all of an hour and a half, during which time I'd just been staring at DS in a "oh my god, I've actually got a baby!" way. DH had been sent home as it was lunch time so I was by myself too. She pounced, took a load of details and then asked me which package I wanted, at which point I panicked and said I needed to speak to DH first. We did buy the photos in the end, but I thought it was a bit high pressure given I'd just been through labour and really couldn't think clearly.

I know someone who started a campaign to get rid of the Bounty photographers from our local hospital after our babies were born last year - she hasn't got anywhere. The local NHS say it's a national decision to have these people.

Personally, our Bounty lady was actually quite nice. We had no visitors at all during our 3 day hospital stay and very few photos of DD. She took a really nice pic - I bought the whole pack, the largest of which is framed on our wall, and it meant I could send the passport sized ones to relatives who didn't get to see DD for weeks. I wouldn't have bought the photos if they weren't any good though!

I'm also eternally grateful to her as she arrived just as DD had her first dump - she supervised the cleanup operation! And was a damnsight more attention than the majority of the midwives!

I took the Bounty pack when I booked in just in case DP(this is his first) wanted to experience the joy of pregnancy. He couldn't believe all the crap in it. Needless to say we haven't been to collect the other free pack from Boots.

You don't need to have the bounty pack or the crap pictures to claim child benefit or no mother that has a home birth would claim it.

*attentive. Doh.

The bounty photographers I had were really nice, and compared to every other photo I've had taken of the dc since were very reasonable, paid about £40 and had enough pictures for all the family and friends. Pictures are both lovely and displayed nearly 4 and 5yrs later!

I am really shocked to hear these experiences. I left the postnatal ward within a few hours so was spared. I never got a bounty pack and whenever I asked MWs /HVs what I should do to register the birth they looked blanky at me and said "it's all in the bounty pack". Weeks later I finally got round to googling it and sorted out the birth certificate & CB without the help of Bounty, but I do remember thinking it was a bit weird that the health professionals were unable to provide the right information and were relying on a commercial organisation instead.

I know someone who started a campaign to get rid of the Bounty photographers from our local hospital after our babies were born last year - she hasn't got anywhere. The local NHS say it's a national decision to have these people

It would be interesting to see what the Minister in charge would say. I bet he'll claim it's nothing to do with him and a local decision.

I think it's awful - surely there are no other hospital wards where salespeople are allowed to barge into patient's rooms and try to sell them stuff while they're exhausted/in pain/recovering from surgery. By definition the women who are on the post-natal ward (rather than being sent home directly) are there for a reason, usually because there's some complication with them and/or their baby, it's outrageous to take advantage of them as a captive audience for sales.

Nothing wrong with having photos of your newborn done in hospital if you want them, but let people request them if/when they want!

YANBU.
The Bounty lady turned up just as we were trying to get everything together to leave the hospital the day after DS was born. He'd been up all night and had finally gone to sleep and she wanted me to pick him up so she could take a photo. I said no and she said she had to take a photo "for security reasons" so DP said "well, take your photo of him now if you must but we are not waking him up and we are not buying any photos". She huffily took the photo, left the pack and buggered off!

'For security reasons'??? WTAF!?!?

I reckon when this thread is bigger a link to it should be sent to Bounty.

Yup Really should have complained at the time I suppose but as I say, we were just packing up to go home, I was knackered and sore and just wanted to get home so the easiest thing seemed to be to let her take the picture to shut her up!

I'm glad I missed this experience. Some of them are terrible!

Bloody security reasons? I can't get over that one.

Of course you can sort out CB etc. without the pack but you have to go out of your way to find out how and get it done, rather than having the form conveniently given to you. When your in that immediate post baby daze it's very easy to let it slip and not realise. With DC2 I only realised because I hadn't had the voucher for the child trust fund through then twigged it was because I hadn't claimed CB. I lost out on some because it was too late to backdate it far enough. That's all rather beside the point though. The point is that there is no reason why the CB form has to come in the Bounty pack it could just as easily be handed out by the MW or by the HV when things are a bit more settled and you're back home. It is frankly outrageous that people are expected to accept stuff from Bounty in order to get an official form.

Just for all you ladies (myself included, she burst in when I was in pain and vomiting) who have had the Bounty woman invade your privacy hours after giving birth I promise to shout at her 'fuck off, fuck off, fuck off - you Bounty Bitch' at her as soon as I see her.
HTH.

YADNBU.

They are hideously intrusive.

oh god yes, i had had an emc and was totally dazed and shocked in a room on my own, and they burst in looking all official with a trolley with clipboards, i assumed they were staff, and gave my details. i had had no sleep and dd had just stopped crying aand i had just dropped off after shakily attending to her in that 'oh crap i have a baby and i'm scared i'll break her' way. sitting on a mattress pad soaked in blood, scared i'll burst stitches leaning over to pick her up. these people are totally wrong diddly wrong wrong. i wish i hadnt been so shakey/weak/tired/shocked to complain. i just wanted to get the heck out of there tbh.

YANBU appalling.

I had CS with DD2 and they were there on the big shared ward you go on after for 24 hours when they keep a closer eye on you and you are on heavy duty painkillers. I told her to sod off but the woman next door was subjected to a really major sales pitch.

Women who have just given birth and on on heavy duty drugs should not be subjected to hard sell IMO I was staggered horrified frothing etc.

Go haribos go :)

I saw the photographer with mine, I said no thanks and she went away. My forms for getting CB were given to me by the registrar when I registered the births from what I can remember (12 and nearly 9 years ago).