Bounty women on maternity wards

[FasterThanASnakeAndAMongoose]

I know this has been done before, but ho hum.

AIBU to say that marketing companies have no place on maternity wards?

After giving birth to my babies I was exhausted and vulnerable. It was a massive invasion of privacy for the Bounty women to barge in trying to harvest my details before my own parents had even met their dgc. They were waiting downstairs for visiting to start.

Hospital should be a sanctuary. Women on postnatal wards aren't necessarily ill, but I've never felt more ill in my life. On no other ward would it be acceptable for a marketing company to prey on patients, so why is it still ok on maternity?

Gives me the rage

Rollyroo, just be very clear to her that you want her to bugger off.

I fondly remember that in my bounty pack for my third child was a voucher for a free photography session for pictures at something like 4, 12 and 20 weeks old for your child - one picture of each session free. Obviously he idea was that you got the free one and ordered a gazillion extra that you had to pay for.

But no, I went along for each of the sessions and had my daughter's photo taken. To be fair, the photographer did an excellent job on the photos, in a studio set up and more than one shot etc. But pressure to order more for grandparents etc. But I said why would I order photos of just one child rather than all three. No problem, he said, one of the sessions could involve all three children. No thanks I said, I'll just have the free ones. You could see him absolutely seething.

I think of this every time I look at the lovely set of three photos of my daughter in a lovely leather triple photo album - all for free!

But I agree they should be outlawed. So manipulative.

I freaked on the picture cunt for waking me and DD after a 56 hour hell and EMCS. Curtains closed lights off and she still came in!!!

I think it's ridiculous that they are allowed it. I got the filthiest look in May when the Bounty woman told the girl (she was 16/17 at the very most) in the next bed to me that she needed the pack for the Child Benefit form and that she needed her name and address to give her the pack when I said that she could, if she wanted, just download the form from the internet.

Another woman on the ward warned everyone off the photos. She had an 11 month old and the same woman had done the photos then. she said that shit didn't even cover them. The Bounty woman was never seen on the ward again until we all left!

Apparently they've now given them a stand. So they are allowed to give out packs to everyone who approaches them, but they are no longer allowed to wander the wards. Photographs are only allowed if people ask. I think they'd like to ban them, but that's a decision above the heads of the midwives sadly.

I missed out on all this. First DD was hospital born - stayed there for nearly a week, but kept missing the photographer.

Second DD was delivered at home - the Bounty pack was delivered to the house a few days before the due date and that was the end of their involvement. Lucky, lucky me.

I must admit, I was quite impressed to get a free towel this time but disappointed by lack of plastic babywipe case I actually would've appreciated someone measuring for nursing bras as once I'd been feeding for a couple of days, my nipples were so sore and leaky that I didn't want anyone near them and just guessed the size!

I hate bounty. I think if it was men giving birth they would have been banned a long time ago. My older 3 were born at home or discharged from labour ward so I didn't see the bounty lady.

With DS4 he was in NICU and the bounty lady came in every day, saying "baby not with you yet?" and tutting at the inconvenience to her. I was already feeling like a leper being the only one with no baby and no crowds of visitors round my bed and this really upset me.

On the last day she reluctantly gave me a pack and asked for my details. I said no, I didn't want to end up with a load of junk mail. Then the lady in the next bed refused to give her details too. Not sure if it was because of what I said but I hadn't heard anyone else refuse before.

With DS5 it was only 12 months later and the bounty lady ignored me the whole week I was in. I think she remembered me .

What pissed me off was the lunch time staff they opened my curtain when I wasn't there while my baby was sleeping. The woman on the other bed told me I was fuming.

Am i only one on mn who actively had to find the bounty rep to get photos taken. There was no pressure to buy. Once i chased her down, she took the photos and left me with a piece of paper with a code on. Once home dh and i a week later bought the £59 pack of photos. It arrived very quickly. Both sets of parents and us have lovely framed photos now and we gave other photos to other family members. And best of all i was able to impress everyone with how organised i was (lol) as thank you cards were sent by dd third week. This all was less than 6 weeks ago. I look at dd photo when i feed her now, she changed so much already, and vvv pleased i got her photo done in hospital as no way been in fit state to do it afterwards.

I has my twins very prematurely and they were in NICU and really poorly, so when the Bounty Lady came round and said "babies not with mummy then??" I told her that they were under a kilo each and couldn't breathe and we didn't know if they'd survive (which was entirely true). She fuck ed off sharp and I didn't see her again for the rest of my 5 days in hospital!

It's a disgrace that they're allowed anywhere near vulnerable women.

I told the one that came to see me where to go, I'd planned to anyway but especially after hearing her give the woman on the next bed the hard sell. She tried to pull the "oh but child benefit form!" thing. Noooope.

I was still lying on a pad covered in blood when the bounty women came round... my daughter still had blood all over her! I was a sweaty, exhausted mess after a three day Labour and so declined being in the photos. I LOVE the photos of my daughter, they are gorgeous and I did buy some, but I'm sad I didn't get any with me in. If they'd come the next day it would have been better. Or if I'd had any warning about it. As I didn't know it was a thing!

But while I love the photos, yes I think it's unreasonable to have a company wandering around on wards where new mums are vulnerable let alone the babies! I didn't know who they were, they gave no real introduction and I thought they were affiliated with the hospital at first!

So, glad to have professional new born photos, but in hindsight uncomfortable about them (Bounty women) being on the wards Etc

I was all geared up to tell the bounty last to fuck off but she didn't even approach me. I must have just radiated anger.

She did take some pics of a baby on my ward though. Took forever and they were rubbish.

I was 17 and had been through 55 hours of labour with my first baby when the bounty woman knocked on the door and came in without waiting for a response.
I was completely overwhelmed and when she said she had to take some details from me, I assumed that she was another hcp.
It wasn't until she got out her camera out, I suddenly said "Hang on, what the Jeff do you think you're doing?!" She got pissy with me saying that I was messing her around and if I'd just let her get on with her job. Then she picked up my son. I absolutely lost it. I don't know how I moved so quickly but I snatched him off her and told her that she had no business invading people's privacy this way. She said I was rude and needed to be taught a lesson in manners but she did go.
I was there for 2 days and another one of her colleagues came back for 'a second attempt' with me. I told her to fuck off. Didn't get the pack either.

The bounty woman .... I can hardly say this as it still fills me with rage even though my son is nearly 15!.... Stuck her finger in my sons mouth to get him to look at her!!! My precious first child had this strangers germ ridden fingernail in his mouth!!!! I couldn't even... I had a home birth with my second so no bounty people! Although I'm surprised they didn't find out my address and turn up 😂😂😂 it's actually against Eu procurement legislation for one company to be given that sort of advantage

Am incredulous at this practice. Is nothing sacred? The thing being campaigned against when I had my first was that bounty pack had samples of formula in them. There used to be a lot more stuff in the packs than posters are reporting here, but no photos.

Yanbu to raise it again. It's because of threads like these that I discovered the scam of bounty.

I screamed 'no' when bounty came knocking on my door. She gave my DP the pack without my details being divulged.

I told a midwife that I didn't want to see the bounty woman and she questioned and queried why (this was less than 2 hours after I haemorrhaged in theatre and was ebf twins). I was made to feel totally unreasonable in my request. The midwife told me that it was the only way to get a cb form - I said 'oh well no point then as I can't claim CB' even this got queried.

How much do the pictures cost? I'm sure a woman on the ward paid in excess of £500 - I was on a high midwife to patient ratio ward as we had all had surgery I cannot imagine them being allowed to sell on any other post surgery ward.

YANBU X 100
They tried to get onto the neonatal unit.
You know, where there some really sick premature babies
Matron told them to fuck off leave the premises.

I've just had a look at their product range and I don't think its any more expensive than any other newborn photographer, in fact it probably costs less.

But the problem is the hard sell tactics in a medical setting when women are at their most vulnerable. That's what pisses me off. If you want photos of your newborn that is fair enough but you should have to seek it out in a seperate area where its not bothering anybody else rather than be made to feel pressured or even tricked into it at your bedside.

My main objections to this are threefold.

1. A commercial organisation should not be in hospitals at all, and certainly not harrassing vulnerable and exhausted new mothers.

1. I strongly object to the fact that they put samples, leaflets or coupons for follow on milk or early weaning products into the bags which directly undermines everything the NHS is trying to do to promote and support breastfeeding.

1. Child Benefit is no longer universal, there is no justification for the government paying a commercial company to distribute the forms. No other official forms are distributed in this way.

BOOT OUT BOUNTY!!

It starts antenatally too. When we were waiting for the anomaly scan we had a woman come round and say, Have you had your Mum-To-Be pack?". I said no then she put one in my hand and immediately asked for my email address. So I gave it back and politely (ish) told her I wasn't interested.

It was the way she phrased it which annoyed me, it implied that it was something essential I should have already been given, not some marketing crap and I wasn't concentrating when she approached me so it wasn't obvious she wasn't NHS staff

I've recently had a baby and the lady opposite me had pictures taken. They were shown with emotional music playing over a slide show. Cue tears from her and her do! £85 later the bounty lady walked away with a massive smile on her face!

I didn't know this was a thing when I had my first, so I didn't really know what was going on and why she wanted to take pictures of my baby (who was 12 days late and super squished up). I was in hospital for 2 nights, and for most of that I barely knew what time it was. Then there's the general discomfort and/or pain, and the fact that I'd had the baby yet the bump still seemed the same. It can be a very overwhelming time, and there were women on my word who'd had a worse time than me. How is it ethical to let women be pestered like this?

My second was a home birth, and a MW brought my bounty pack round the day after the birth so I didn't have to see anyone. It was great.

Although it's times like this I wish I were more assertive. I don't even like saying no to the people who phone me about the car accident I-never had.

CB forms could be given with the baby's red book. Simple.