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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Bounty women on maternity wards

157 replies

FasterThanASnakeAndAMongoose · 30/08/2016 22:04

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 Angry

OP posts:
RainyDayBear · 31/08/2016 07:50

I was all ready to send the bounty lady packing after reading the threads on here. BUT when I had DD the bounty lady was polite and non pushy, gave me the pack up front, offered photos and agreed to come back when DP was there (I'd had a CS so wasn't up for moving DD around myself). We had her take some photos just to see and I asked her to take my email address so we could look and decide later, which she was fine with. We ended up buying the lot on memory stick as they were really nice photos and we knew grandparents would like them - plus we regretted not having booked a newborn photo shoot. DD is now 7 months old and we're glad we had them taken - we didn't take any particularly good ones in the early days and I'm glad we have some lovely ones from when she was so very tiny! I think I would want them done when we have baby #2. So I am not against bounty, but I do think most are probably fat more pushy as its sales based, and that really isn't what vulnerable women need on a postnatal ward! Maybe they should have a sign up on the ward saying photos available at request type thing, and they come onto the ward at invitation only?

RainyDayBear · 31/08/2016 07:51

*far, not far!

RainyDayBear · 31/08/2016 07:51

**far not fat! FFS!

Coldhandscoldheart · 31/08/2016 08:48

To be fair, the lady came round, smiled & said 'Bounty?' I smiled & said 'no thank you' and she cooed at the baby and left.
However I wouldn't have known to do that had I not spent a long time reading a lengthy previous thread.
I sort of wish I'd let her take a photo, cos no other fucker took a pic of me and baby til about three weeks later.

BumpPower · 31/08/2016 08:49

When I had DS 2 years ago I had been all readied for the fight by MN. I was ready to tear strips off the bounty lady but she was quite happy to just hand over a pack of freebies and leave without taking any details etc. This time in March lady was a little pushier but still left when asked woth out the need for rage!

stitchglitched · 31/08/2016 09:13

I don't remember seeing them with eldest DC but with second DC (nearly 2 years ago) she came into the bay, wearing a tunic and with a trolley so she looked like a HCP. I heard her chatting to other women in the bay so I knew who she was but when she came over she didn't introduce herself and just starting asking me for my personal details. I said I'm not interested, I'll just have the pack please. She tried to argue a couple of times but I just said firmly that I wasn't interested so she gave me the pack and moved along.

It pissed me off that she was dressed like a HCP and was just approaching beds along with physios, hearing checkers etc. It's intrusive and misleading. I am pretty assertive so was able to deal with her but there are many women who won't feel able to argue especially after just giving birth.

NavyandWhite · 31/08/2016 09:18

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

YouMakeMyDreams · 31/08/2016 09:38

I only ever seen the woman the first time round and she did take dd's picture but I never had a digital camera in this email days. She wasn't I trust be and came back to me later like I asked her to. Think she maybe offered when I had ds1 but had a decent camera by that point and said no. Ds2 was a home birth so midwives brought me a pack to the house. The quality of samples got worse over the years. When I had Dd I got loads of stuff by the time I had the boys they're were rubbish.
I live in the Highlands and nhs highland were the first in Scotland to cancel their contract with bounty after feedback from parents. They said they had got around £6000 a year from allowing Bounty on to the wards. The trust said that mothers didn't want this intrusion at that time of their lives. Bounty were quite different as saying they were delis appointed by the decision as the deliver essential information to new parents. Shock

StillRabbit · 31/08/2016 10:23

I had the photos of each of mine and really like them...they are actually on display with one of our wedding photos and DCs are 18 and 13 now. Back then I found the samples quite useful...especially the plastic baby wipe box and the small sudocrem pot was perfect for out and about. I got sent a voucher to claim the weaning packs which I claimed as well - baby rice was useful and that was it; you didn't get deluged with junk mail from them back then.

Tenementfunster · 31/08/2016 10:28

I had a (I must say perfectly lovely) woman trying to flog us a foot cast or some such. Our dc had a badly deformed foot and we were in total shock.
Cold calling, and that's what it is, had no place in a hospital.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 31/08/2016 11:14

Can I ask - does anyone know if Bounty are linked to the folk who make the 'Mothers and Others' guide? (It's this thing www.mothersguide.co.uk/).

Asking as DP got the packet at her booking-in scan, and we cast an eye over the leaflet before deciding it was the biggest pile of shite ever. Admittedly, it has a tiny bit of sane-looking breastfeeding advice, but it's interspersed with sooooo much guff.

My favourite bit (especially given the way they've gone to all the trouble of titling it 'mothers and others' is the pages for 'dad', which basically explains that breastfeeding isn't tiring, and points out cheerily that these days, dads 'are just getting better and better' and may even do one third of the care for their own child! Amazing!

It also suggests you should start regulating your DP's interaction with people outside the home. Which could conceivably be a good thing, but does also read very much like abusive partnering 101.

peaceloveandshitmoms · 31/08/2016 11:24

One whole third! My goodness!

DorothyHarris · 31/08/2016 11:25

I've had two pregnancies and births (3dcs) and never once received a bounty pack at all. They came round both times and both times were told no thanks. She even told me it's the only way to get child benefit forms...

MapleandPear · 31/08/2016 11:28

I had photos done for both DDs, which I was happy with, and bought the cheapest pack. I don't know if this was a Bounty person but there was never any marketing follow-up to it. I got some kind of free Bounty pack at ante natal appointments and binned most of it.

LRDtheFeministDragon · 31/08/2016 11:29

I know, right? And their dicks don't even drop off.

WeiAnMeokEo · 31/08/2016 11:32

I had a home birth then got an infection a couple of days later. Was put on postnatal ward to be pumped full of antibiotics and generally horrified at the standard of 'care', it made it clear why rates of PND are so high but that'should a whole different thread...Bounty salesperson tried her luck and I feel retrospectively horrible as she was only about 20, but I gave it to her with both barrels (actually used the phrase 'opportunistic vulture' as she was trying to harvest my data from my husband while I was in the loo....

JacquelineChan · 31/08/2016 11:34

to be honest they didn't bother me - it was the breast feeding police !

I sat there in tears behind a curtain bleeding from the nipples when some old witch stuck her head round and said don't you dare give up and start giving him formula !

JacquelineChan · 31/08/2016 11:35

I'm not sure who they were exactly but they all tended to be elderly wearing pink T shirts with some kind of slogan on the back

WeiAnMeokEo · 31/08/2016 11:36

I had a home birth, in great part because I wanted to avoid the postnatal ward. Got a sodding infection 3 days later and they stuck me on there to pump me full on antibiotics. Was generally horrified at the standard of 'care' - made it clear why rates of PND are so high but that's a whole other thread.

Bounty sales person tried her luck, and I feel retrospectively mean as she was all of about 20 years old, but I let her have both barrels of my vitriol (actually used the phrase 'opportunistic vulture') when I caught her trying to harvest my data from my husband while I had been in the loo...

BertieBotts · 31/08/2016 13:22

"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"

This is why they don't allow formula companies to advertise in hospitals any more. People scoff at the idea that formula companies aim to be confused for medical staff and wonder how anyone could be taken in by it - well, very easily when you're not expecting it.

Bounty is sponsored by a load of formula companies, too, so I'm not really sure how they are allowed to wrangle that. If you get on their list they start sending adverts for follow on once your baby is 6 months old.

Apparently it's really difficult to be taken off the list if your baby dies or is stillborn, too :(

JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff · 31/08/2016 13:30

I had a home birth and never got a Bounty pack. Bit of a shame as I was fully ready to tear strips off them Grin

We got our child benefit form when we registered DD birth. Don't know why that isn't just standard.

And Shock at the MW querying whether you are eligible for CB or not - your salary is none of their bloody business!

Crazycatladyloz82 · 31/08/2016 15:13

My DC was in special care so the patronising bounty woman said oh I don't know if you deserve this as you aren't looking after your baby. If I didn't have tubes coming out of every place in my body I would have punched her.

rallytog1 · 31/08/2016 15:32

What the actual f Crazy??? I'd have reported that to PALS. It's disgraceful.

I hate Bounty with a passion. I'm sure most bounty ladies are lovely but some royally take the piss. I refused to see them after I had dd2. I was perfectly polite and said I didn't want a pack or photos and that I knew how to apply for cb but she was very persistent and tried to make out I was being stupid.

coldofhands · 31/08/2016 15:34

My baby was prem and in NICU, I was on morphine, recovering from a crash c-section. She made me cry.

Soubriquet · 31/08/2016 15:37

I quite liked the bounty lady. Loved having the pictures taken and then made it clear I was going purchase from home. End up spending £30

But!!! They should try and asses the situation first. If mum looks worn out and vulnerable, you don't do bugging them. Also take no for an answer