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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to be a little jealous of Wirrall mums.

26 replies

horsey01 · 04/09/2012 15:40

Have been watching the Midwives which shows the ensite bedrooms of their maternity/post natal ward.
Beds are changed daily and food is brought to their beds.
Our unit like most of NHS is
4 bed bays
Go help yourself to food in canteen
Change your own beds even post csection (after 1st night)
AIBU to be a little jealous especially as this time I won't have any visirors until after 2pm and will be having a csection.

OP posts:

OpheliasWeepingWillow · 04/09/2012 15:43

Change your own bed after Csection?? REALLY? I would have died.

Original poster

horsey01 · 04/09/2012 16:55

Yep. After my last csection I had dd at 10.30 pm. Had one night in HD area. Next morning moved to general ward where I was told if I wanted to change my bed sheets were in x place. Was academic in the end as only spent 2 nights in hospital. If you can call 1st night 1 night when I reached ward early hours of morning.

OP posts:

pissovski · 04/09/2012 17:02

I had DS in that hospital last year and the only meal that was brought to my bed was my dinner the first after having EMCS. I was in for a week and had to go to the serving point for meals, and to the coffee machine for drinks. I completely missed out one meal cos i didn't know what time it would be served and went to see DS in SCBU and came back too late.

I don't remember the bed being changed daily either (maybe it was if you asked).

The best thing for me was having DH with me all day, and having a private bathroom. But being in your own room means that you do sometimes get 'forgotten' re meds/painkillers (i took my own paracetamol as someone mentioned this to me before i went in) and that you don't get chance to chat to anyone (except in the queue for food i guess).

McHappyPants2012 · 04/09/2012 17:10

I really don't see why beds in hospital gets changed daily, unless they are needed to be changed at home you would change your bed every day.

GruffalosGirl · 04/09/2012 17:15

i had my kids there and the best bit is that dh could stay overnight. It is lovely now but it's new and used to be terrible before they did it up.

Iamnotamindreader · 04/09/2012 18:04

I was in that hospital a while back. They had some private rooms which you had to pay £40 a night for (if memory serves) and the rest were bays. The c-section post op bays where you ended up as soon as you were deemed compus mentus enough to be moved were very short on space. They had shower rooms which were ancient 20 years ago (the first time I was there) and they were still there 5 years ago. The new shower room they had installed was frequently out of order as the seal kept leaking and flooding the corridor.

The having a chat with other mums went out the window as soon as those awful bed tv phone things came in. People just drew their curtains and hid once they were installed IMO.

The beds were only changed daily if you asked. The canteen was serve yourself (well they had a huge hostess trolley and their equivalent of a dinner lady to serve it) if you could get there or it was brought to you if you couldn't (to qualify for that you had to be at deaths door or 1st day post section). The choice was the same limited options available in most hospitals. There were times people were forgotten about and if you missed it or didnt like the selection then you could send a visitor to the main buildings canteen or pop over while they watched the baby.
Partner visiting was unrestricted between 10am and 9pm but if you were in the antenatal side they had to stick to the same visiting hours as the rest of the hospital.

I don't know if they have got rid of all the bays but if they have you can tell from the above the place was overdue a major overhaul as it didn't look like it had had one on the ward side since the maternity department opened in the 80's. If there had been one done before then I'm afraid they didn't get best value for money out of it.

In short I agree with GruffalosGirl the staff were nice but the place was awful. I hope its better now.

TheFidgetySheep · 04/09/2012 18:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

IneedAgoldenNickname · 04/09/2012 18:11

The hospital I gave birth in (in 2004 and 2006) had wards with either 4 or 6 bed on each, I can't remember which. Breakfast was self service, but lunch and dinner were bought to the beds. The ward orderlies (is that what they're called?) Changed the beds daily if we wanted.

The place on that midwives programme did look lovely though!

valiumredhead · 04/09/2012 18:11

My mum had to change my bed after repeatedly asking for it to be done - this was 6 days after section.

valiumredhead · 04/09/2012 18:12

I believe there is some research that shows new mums in bays and olde worlde nightingale wards suffer less postnatal depression and isolation.

Because babies were taken to the nursery and looked after while mums chatted and caught up on much needed sleep I expect.

TheHeirOfSlytherin · 04/09/2012 18:13

Food was bloody well not brought to my bed and I gave birth in that hospital. I wasn't even told the food was being served and had to ask for some toast and was told to make it myself.

The bf support was utterly shite too.

The private room was good though

VivaLeBeaver · 04/09/2012 18:16

I also think they have those private midwives on the Wirral that are paid by the NHS to provide team midwifery care to women. So its free to the users. Hospital and staff look lovely.

valiumredhead · 04/09/2012 18:17

I had private room and en suite but that's where the luxury ended.

VivaLeBeaver · 04/09/2012 18:17

And day 1 section I buzzed for a midwife as a blood clot the size of a pork chop fell out of me onto to the floor. I thought I'd lost my liver! Midwife told me to pick it up as she didn't have any gloves on!

valiumredhead · 04/09/2012 18:19

Oh how nice. Ffs that is shocking.

maandpa · 04/09/2012 18:25

I had all my 3 dcs there. I had my last baby dd2 in Arrowe Park just before the wards were renovated. Everyone has a private en suite room now, I think. My sister in law has just had a baby there a few days ago.

3 years ago, food was brought to us. We were in 6 bed bays. I did natter with other mums which was great. Although I did think the bedside tv was annoying when one mum fell asleep with it on, and turned it towards me!!

But most importantly of all the staff were brilliant. Patient and caring.

I'm really glad I live on the Wirral

All the births, especially the last 2 (because I knew what I wanted) were positive experiences.

Evasmum12 · 04/09/2012 18:26

Bit :o at some of these! How awful!

I had an emergency c-section, I was in a private room with a bathroom, and I definitely remember food being brought to my bed by a member of staff.

I think the bedding was changed too, although it may have just been those mat things they put under you to soak up the blood.

I had my dd at 1pm and they let my then dp stay overnight with me that night, on the spare bed in the room.

I am still so grateful for how well I was treated, my dd was in intensive care so maybe they were a bit more attentive (?) because of that.

Evasmum12 · 04/09/2012 18:27

Oh god, not

BuntyCollocks · 04/09/2012 18:32

Arrowe park are fantastic. Breakfast and lunch were brought to my room post section, dinner my DH went to get for me. My bed was changed every day, and the room thoroughly cleaned every day.

I'm with one 2 one midwives this time, the service viva is referring to. Can't sing their praises highly enough. I don't even live on the Wirral, just quite close, but both Arrowe park and one 2 one are very accommodating.

DH could stay if he wanted, but went home to get some proper sleep, and I will be sending him home this time as well.

All in all, I think we're very lucky up this neck of the woods!

TheHeirOfSlytherin · 04/09/2012 18:32

Dh didn't get a bed, he could stay overnight but had to sleep in the chair next to my bed.

Also had a midwife tell me to pull myself together when I randomly burst into tears a few hours after I gave birth which I thought was a bit harsh. Even I didn't know why I was crying ... Surely lots of new mums cry randomly?

And then dh had an argument with another MW who insisted on giving ds formula top ups when he wouldn't latch. Not only did she insist on top ups but she insisted that she would be the one to feed him. Dh made the point that as he has two parents here why couldn't one of us do it instead.

I couldn't wait to get out of there.

valiumredhead · 04/09/2012 18:33

My ds was born at 32 weeks, rushed to the SCUBU with a collapsed lung and infection and one of the nurses asked in utter amazement why I was crying. Beggars belief!

KenDoddsDadsDog · 04/09/2012 18:35

My room was like this in Sunderland, and my sisters in Newcastle was amazing (double bed so dad could stay and mood lighting)
My family were allowed to come and go and DH was not kicked out into the snow as he wasn't disturbing anyone. Loved it, was like a little hotel. The midwives were great.

Mum2Luke · 04/09/2012 18:37

I know someone who works as a community midwife and she says she might be on tonight. We live in Tameside and all 3 of my dcs were born there and we had 4 beds per bay. I didn't mind this really, I think it would have been a bit lonely and I wanted the babies to get used to a bit of noise. NO WAY was I tiptoeing around them .

The 'babies' are now 21,19 and 10 and the 2 older ones would sleep all day if you let them!

Evasmum12 · 04/09/2012 18:38

Sorry, forgot to say, that wasn't at the Wirral, just our local Infirmary.

Pinkforever · 04/09/2012 18:40

i am always shocked when i hear the horror stories of how post natal.women are looked after.the hospital in glasgow where i had my dcs has sadly shut down now.i had great care there.own room after 1 night on ward.sheets changed snd room given a wipe down every day.food was brought to me and if the auxillary saw i hadnt eaten much i was offered something else. i stayed in for 5 days post section and could have stayed in for longer if i wanted too.seems like i was bloody lucky!

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