To think that some women have an awful time on the postnatal ward

[elliejjtiny]

This isn't a slag off the midwives thread. In my case the midwives were perfectly lovely and kind, just very overworked.

My 2 experiences on the postnatal ward with DS4 (now 18m) and DS5 (now 6m) were horrible. I had caesareans both times and both babies were in NICU, although DS5 came and joined me on the ward for the last 3 days. Once my catheter was out I had to make my own breakfast, fetch other meals and drinks from the ward kitchen, take expressed milk down what felt like endless corridors to NICU every 4 hours and sterilize all the bottles, pump bits etc. I didn't have DH with me as he was looking after the DC's or any visitors who stayed more than 5 minutes. I could have really done with some tlc in my vulnerable and hormonal state. And some decent painkillers. I wasn't allowed morphine after the catheter came out because it made me wobbly, just paracetamol and ibubrofen. I take more than that for period pains.

But when I talk about it I get told that it didn't happen or that I'm being negative or exaggerating. It makes me feel like I'm going mad. So come and tell me your awful postnatal ward stories so that I know I'm not alone.

OP thank-you this thread has prompted me to finally email a request for a debrief, I intemd to losge a formal complaint too, but am curious to hear how the hospital attempts to respond to what will be damning and disappointing feedback.

Too many people on here have detailed the same lack lf basic care I eendured, If my feedback helps prevent a repeat of this for just one woman, I will be relieved.....

I have three. PN ward on ds1 was worst experience of my entire life. I just sat and sobbed uncontrollably and was seen as an incredible nuisance but I felt wretched and hopeless and like a complete failure as I couldn't feed my baby as I couldn't sit up (Kielland's Forceps). I was definitely in shock too after a great, easy, epidural labour with lots of chatting and laughing becoming all emergency... but mainly it was how harsh and uncaring staff were when I was so vulnerable. I could go into it but it's nasty.

Next two experiences were absolutely fine but I did hear another first time mum get short shrift from a midwife when seeking help and another mother who had had CS and was non-English speaking get incredibly distressed to the point of being hysterical when her partner had to leave. They honestly spoke to her like absolute dirt

It took me ages to even get on the postnatal ward with dc2; I ended up in the TV lounge (without a bed) of the midwife unit a few hours after giving birth. Found out two days later this was probably because they were so very very slow at discharging women who wanted to go home. However, this was handy for the two poor ladies on the ward who had had c-sections as they needed us other mums to fetch their meals (left on a table out of reach), get them water, hand them their babies....

I also asked to see the breast feeding specialist with dc1 and despite asking nearly hourly they never came. I phoned them when I got home and was told they had not received any referral from the ward. With dc2 I was asking them to put in a request while I was still in labour then hourly after that again with no show. With dc3 we were allowed mobile phones so I phoned them myself and got seen pretty quickly (and advised I would probably need to bottle feed but that is another ongoing story).

I am feeling very emotional at this thread. I have been a postnatal ward midwife for fourteen years now, I am appalled at the care that many of you have had. Nobody should ever be spoken to in such rude ways.
We are not all like that, most of us go to work wanting to do our very best for the women and babies we will be looking after, and do everything we can.
It has changed a lot in my career. When I started, I would generally have had four or five women, with their babies, around ten patients each. I would do the postnatal checks, do a bath demo, go through all leaflets and information in great detail, make cups of tea, change the bedding and sit down and chat.
However, the reality of now, is that I will often start off with 8 women, and 8 babies, then a member of staff will be taken to delivery suite to work (as post natal wards never seem to matter), meaning that I will then have 12 women, and 12 babies, so 24 patients. We now have many more sets of observations to do on babies, due to litigation, so I will do the post natal checks, the baby checks and then sets of obs and blood sugars on babies. I make breakfast and try to give breastfeeding support, but one of the women I have taken over care of may now be buzzing and hasn't even been seen by anyone yet. I have to give the bare minimum care, so that I can see everyone. If I spend a long time with the first woman, the 12th woman in extremely irate by the time I get to her, and wanting to be discharged.
I hope that I would never come across as rude or uncaring to the women I look after. I am envious of the stories of midwives sitting drinking tea, as I very rarely get to eat or drink anything on my 13 hour shift, and feel bad if I've stopped my work to go to the toilet.
I think I'm just wanting to say, that these stories don't reflect all postnatal midwives, or wards, we really do try to help. We never have time now to do bath demos or sit and chat, and the pressure for beds is constantly on us as people will be waiting on delivery for beds, so we have to get people discharged and out to make room.
I wish it was like it used to be, I just want to do the job that I came into midwifery to do.

pullthecracker thanks for such an honest post above here.

You are exactly the type of midwife I was hoping amd praying I would encounter. Sadly though, the reality could not have been more different.

The midwives I met were certainly overworked, but they did not even seem to care or possess any capabilities. Their assessments on me were so inadequate that DP has admitted he really thought at some stages perhaps DD and myself would die... Other women on my post natal ward were equally disgusted.

In the end I discharged myself and DD at 7pm having delivered DD via vontousse at 3.26am and having had a third degree tear. I simply would have lost my mind if I had stayed a moment longer. It was so hot in there I could not even think straight and I can still remember how foul the bathroom I had to shower in was..... The midwives were shocking in all aspects, but their attitude and conduct was by far the worst element.

I am so sorry you had that experience. It really isn't good enough.

Ha ha-we are in agreement there!!!

So as a midwife seeing these changes (not for the better we can see here), is this simply down to budgets? Or do you think better management would deliver better results?

It really seemed to us that the Provision of space, equipment and facilities would jave been sufficient, if only the staff had been matched accordingly.

And why is it so unbearably hot in these places?

Some of these stories are so upsetting.

I feel really lucky to have had mainly ok experiences. Though I wasn't massively pleased with my experience after dc1 which made me choose a home birth for dc2.

I think even if your care wasn't horrendous it's hard to enjoy the postnatal experience in hospital.

I didn't have to make my own breakfast, but I was constantly told to go to the day room. This was after practically zero sleep! DS was born at 2.26 am, he didn't go to sleep until 3 pm, all I wanted to do was sleep! If the midwives were worried about me coping at home, if they'd said that I'd have told them that DH was self-employed and was taking 2 weeks off to help.

I had DS in hospital, after my waters broke after 20 hours of labour at home (planned home birth with private midwives). Ended up with forceps, bad tearing, fractured coccyx etc etc. I was in for two nights, I had 4 lovely midwives and then 1 horrible one on my last night. To be fair, the horrible one told me it was the worst shift of her career and that every single staffer on the ward that night except her was agency, and therefore unable to get on with things without her supervision. But I was so distraught, exhausted, very injured and simply unable to care properly for DS and there was no one to help me. It took 45 minutes for my buzzer to be answered to ask for help with screaming DSs latch. DH had left in tears because he hadn't wanted to leave me alone with the baby in my poor condition. I checked out against medical advice the following day. The stress and noise on the ward was unbelievable. And the fucking staff screeching and gossiping at the nurse's station all bloody night still gives me the rage when I remember it. I had two private midwives care for me at home for the next 5 days. Thank god.

I just wanted to add that one of my midwives in particular in hospital was so wonderful to DS and I, and helped DH give our baby his first bath (he was covered in blood and meconium) I was not able to see it but she was so kind to DH who was traumatised after the birth. We have a lovely photo of her cuddling DS, which is actually my favorite early pic of him!

Yanbu and why should you just get over it.I had two very traumatic births but got lovely care both times and often think of the lovely care I had during a tough time but if I had had terrible care I think it would have impacted me terribly.

I was the only BF mum in a ward of FF babies. I really struggled to get going. Lots of comments from other mums about how I needed to give the baby a bottle. We were in a kind of annex next to the ward, it was really busy and they kept wheeling in more beds so that the curtains didn't match up. Imagine the humiliation of struggling to feed during visiting hour when the nurse keeps opening back the curtains that you've tried to pull round.
This was 10 years ago

doubleshot sorry for the delay, I had to get some sleep as am working today. I think our role has become so much more extended. We now do a lot of the things junior drs used to do, such as siting cannulas and bloods on babies. We have a lot more high risk women that need careful monitoring, and usually has a knock on effect on the baby needing things like hourly obs, blood sugars, antibiotics, drug withdrawal obs etc. There are a lot more high risk births, so many more sections, and we are doing 15 minute obs on those women, so you can imagine if you have 4 sections and doing 15 minute obs on them, the twelfth woman that I mentioned ends up way down the list. There are many shifts that we don't have a health care assistant on duty, so we are clearing lockers, making cups of tea, giving meals out. If there were more midwives on each shift, meaning you only had 3 or 4 women each, then yes, it would make a difference, and you could give fantastic care and spend time with the women. I really can't see it ever happening though. Places are limited for training, as it's very competitive to get into, and universities are asking for 2 or 3 A's at A level now, so I also think that it is reducing the less academic people (like me) getting in, which maybe affects how some new midwives see the role of post natal care? Anyway, this is an essay so I'll stop.
It's so hot, as its maintained at a constant temperature for the premature and high risk , low birthweight babies we have (which used to be in SCBU), as they struggle to maintain their temperature.

i had some pretty shocking care when DS1 and I were readmitted to the post-natal and SCBU after being discharged too early. Poor facilities - windows that didn't shut, heaters with plugs stuck together with tape (kicked off about these), no extra blankets for me or baby. Missing food if breastfeeding baby at meal times (either in SCBU or in room later on) and unable to go and get it. Woken during the night to check I was feeding the baby (I was) and woken by other people's visitors during the day. Obs done on me and baby every 3 hours - but they didn't coincide meaning I was woken every 1.5 hours throughout the night by staff. Woken at 6am by staff on drug round (I wasn't on this round!). And this was in a private room because I didn't have my baby in with me to start with.

I was kept in for a very high blood pressure that wasn't dropping despite medication. I suspect that this was due to the stress of having a sick baby and the shocking care I received rather than any midecial reason. I left hospital after 5 days hallucinating through lack of sleep.

I had my children overseas & midwives were not on the ward, we saw them before birth (same midwife at each appointment) & then I had a midwife with me for each birth. We had completely different nurses for post natal care and were very much encouraged to rest (3 night stay post birth standard).

This thread has thrown up lots of hidden memories for me. DD2 is 4.5 years old now and I can still remember feeling so alone and scared. She was born at 5:10pm by emergency forceps after a 65 hour labour (a whole other story) I arrived on PN wars just after 8. My DH was told he had to leave as visiting time had finished, I asked for some dinner I was told there was nothing. My DH asked if he could go and fetch me something, he was told no. Eventually they relented and bought me a "salad" i use the term salad loosely. He was basically removed from the ward and I was left, hurting, unable to move due to 2 half working epidurals and a spinal. Baby was laid in crib out of reach and she started crying, after 20mins a midwife eventually appeared to move her closer. Shouted at me for not changing her nappy. 1. I'd never done it before and in my delirious state hadnt thought to check and 2. I could bloody reach her or my bags to get the required stuff out!! The only one shining light in this was a lovely older HCA who when heari f me sobbing bought me a sugary cup of tea. She also checked up on me the next day bless her heart.

On a 4 bed ward, lady next to me was lovely, she bought me a banana from her own stash as I'd been sobbing behind my curtain about being alone. Lady opposite me had given birth her baby was in Nicu for drug dependency, she screamed all night for morphine and hurled racist abuse at the midwife on duty when refused anything. She also spent a great deal of time telling me her woes and frightening the life out of me when she tried to pick up my girl. The poor girl in the other bed was 17years old and had literally no where to go so couldn't be released, she had daily visits from social workers and nightly phone calls to people it was so loud and overwhelming. I text my DH and begged him to fetch me home, if i hadnt been in pain and tied up in canulas etc i wouldbe walked. The next day as soon as I woke I buzzed for someone to remove my catheter as I wanted to shower, I got told by the HCA that I should do it myself?!? I told her I would not be doing it and she should, we reluctantly agreed. I had to ask the lovely lady next door to watch DD whilst I showered. In return I fetched her some unappetising toast, as they were refusing to let her go as her son did not breast feed well an she was having hourly visits from the BF counseller. I on the other hand was told i didn't need help!! DD latched on had no idea if it was right or anything. DD had all her checks and I asked to go was told no I needed to stay another night. Told them it was not happening and I packed up and left. My commuity midwife team did not get my discharge paper so I wasn't seen after birth for 5 days.

I too was left in the same bed Sheets for hours on end, the ward was filthy and food provisions totally inadequate for new mothers.

I lost a stupid amount of blood in theatre and not once was my iron levels checked. I was sent immediately by my midwife to have a blood test where it was found I had exceptionally low levels of iron.

Lewisham hospital I hope no one ever has to experience half of what I did ever again.

DD2 birth was easier/faster she was born in an ambulance and I was taken to the MLU on arrival at hospital WHH in Kent. They were so amazing on my post natal care, I was bought a salad for lunch and the midwife rang the kitchen and complained it was terrible (1 slice of tomato, 1 cucumber, bit of iceberg and some ham). She got me a cheesey bean jacket and a hot chocolate instead. Facilities were amazing and thy discharged me in 12 hours (would've been sooner had baby not needed obs).

2 incredibly different outcomes I will never darken Lewisham hospitals door again, the thought of being anywhere near the place makes me nervous. It ruined the first 6 months of DD1 life as I had flashbacks and just actually hated being a mum. My love for her didnt show itself to me for a very long time. I mainly blame the way I was treated in that hospital for how I felt.

I don't know how anyone can justify making a woman feel that way after giving birth, I was so vulnerable and felt like I'd been kicked and abused.

I wasn't treated as a human it was like I was cattle, only one HCA actually came to comfort me with tea and a smile, I'm sobbing now because of it all. I hope my girls never ever have to suffer the humiliation of sitting in bloody stinking sheets for hours on end whilst doctors and midwives ignore you.

Sorry that was long and incoherent certain things keep coming back to me nothing is in the right order at all.

Still we both survived and I am "normally" not this emotional about it.. Stupid hormones!

Hellodoris that is fucking terrible. I refused to go to lewisham as I knew too many people treated badly - just like you. So sad.

I am so sorry to read of people having shocking care.

Who the fuck shouts at a new mother!

Memememum - can not believe you would be locked out after leaving to return to postnatal ward. Honestly how do these things happen.

I was at a very busy hospital but thank god the staff somehow found time to care and had a good culture, unlike aremingers experience.

I just can not imagine going through the crap some of you have, being denied food after labour - or water or pain relief - honestly.

So sorry to hear about these experience.

The only way things will improve, regardless of the reasons for bad care, is if women complain again and again and again.

Unfortunately the last thing anyone feels like doing/has the energy for doing in these circumstances.

After a terrible experience with DS's birth (that's for another thread) I was put into a side room on the postnatal ward. The room was filthy and smelly, there were blood stains on the floor. I asked a midwife if someone would be able to get my slippers for me (which had been accidently left under the bed in delivery) I never got them back and had to walk around in a pair of bed socks which were black by the time I left. Went to go for a shower, asked the mw to look after my DS, was informed "this is not a bloody nursery love" when I appeared shocked she said to leave the door propped open and someone might be able to pop by. I returned from the shower to him choking on his own vomit, flew in, pushed him on his side and a ton of brown mucous came out. I was horrified. He was born covered in meconium so I can only assume this was his little body trying to get rid. When I went to ask for new sheets for his crib the mw told me off for leaving him and said it must have been because I hadn't winded him properly. After that, I started begging to go home. I also asked if my son could be given a bath because he still had meconium all over him and was told it wasn't their job but I made her do it anyway, I had had an episiotomy and ventouse delivery and was in so much pain. The med trolley never came to my little room, only the ward.

I had other issues when DD's were born. DD1 - I bled out onto the sheets a bit and the mw made a huge deal out of it when I asked for clean sheets, loudly announcing what had happened and next time I could "sort myself out." I had to get my own breakfast, despite not knowing where to go, there was hardly anything left when I got there and the room was a mess with other peoples breakfast waste. The other women on my ward were nice and we sort of helped eachother. I was suffering with bad afterpains and when I asked for meds, mw told me no such thing existed and I must have retained my placenta if I was in pain. DD2 - asked for BF support and was told "baby seems to know what she's doing" despite me have trouble with her latch. I just felt ignored and fobbed off. DD4 - my fourth child, they just left me to my own devices. In fact they had forgotten I was even there until I took a walk down to the mw station to ask when I could be discharged and she asked "who are you? No we don't have a lady in that room."

Sorry that should read DD3!

there is some awful stuff on here

Just to pick up on one minor point though that someone made - they can't 'keep you in' just because you are breastfeeding. You do have the right to leave/ discharge yourself.

I realise that's not much help if you need to be there.

Dc1's birth was long and drawn out and I had an epidural. Once on the post natal ward I couldn't sit up and was told I had to do it myself as they weren't allowed to help. I really struggled on the post natal ward.
Dc2 was born in a different hospital and the experience was lovely, the midwives were wonderful. One night dc was crying and crying so the midwife swaddled him and tucked him in with me, it was so nice, and we slept