Hospital should feed breastfeeding mums?

[NurseRosie]

AIBU to think that if your baby is in hospital and Mum is staying as fully breastfeeding, the ward should feed Mum? The NHS is not spending money feeding the baby as mummy us making the milk. Baby feeding sometimes 2 hourly and very clingy as unwell. Ward have only given tea and biscuits. Restaurant expensive and open funny times, for example baby upset over lunch yesterday so didn't get down until 2 and they'd stopped serving hopt food for the day. Do you think they should offer mum a meal?

I was fed while in hospital with my 3 day old - has been discharged day 1 and sent back in daily until day 6 to wait on children's wards for tests/results.
I was struggling with feeding - we'd been told we'd be there half an hour and 6 hours later all of had was a fruit shoot from the vending machine (it had the most sugar!) when I asked they were happy to provide a meal - the next few days I knew the score so took lots of snacks. It isn't as if you can just pop out to find food when your little baby is seriously ill.

DS2 was EBF and admitted to hospital with jaundice at 4DO. I was fed as I think I should have been, he was a tiny baby and like fuck would I have gone to the canteen 3 times a day to eat and left him on his own. I could justify why for 5 reasons but I wont - he was my baby and I wanted to be at his bedside.

In that respect I don't think it should be a breastfeeding issue, but a child issue. If someone could deliver to the bedside I'd pay for it.

I had a c section in the middle of the night. Failed to be given breakfast. DH brought stuff that first day. After breakfast failed the following day, I discharged myself. I was better off at home while breast feeding post section!
Yanbu. It's a absolute disgrace.

No, they shouldn't provide you with food it's not a hotel. You are not the patient, your child is. The NHS is strapped enough for cash as it is without providing meals for non patients.

Gosh, yes. Definitely for bf mums.

It never happened to me but now I've considered it the parents of poorly babies really don't need the extra stress of constantly tracking down meals or dashing to the corner shop.

In an ideal world yes - but can they afford it?
Are FF mums not entitled? What if it's the dad as mum is with other kids? What if mum and dad are both there? Do they both get?

When your baby is ill, unless they're in intensive care you are expected to care for them 24/7. I was in a hospital for over three months with my dd which was over 150 miles from home so I didn't have constant support from relatives and I couldn't leave her unless she was asleep, so getting food for myself was hard an expensive. There were no cooking facilities. Unless you've been in that position I think it's a bit judgemental to just say 'it's not a hotel' etc. The parents are relied upon as carers. It's all very well to say 'you'd have to feed yourself at home', but you're not at home.

TBH the midwives warned me off the NHS provided food when I gave birth - they said it would make me constipated and that I should get my family to bring in fruit and sandwiches and to supplement that with shredded wheat, all bran etc from the kitchen. I followed their wise advice!

I've worked on NHS children's wards and we've always had a policy of breastfeeding mums being allowed to eat ward meals, even if the child was old enough to also have solid meals. Different trusts have different policies so I can't guarantee that everyone does this. OP have you actually spoken to someone and been told they don't allow this? Sometimes we would have misunderstandings where mums didn't think they were allowed meals, or times when they weren't offered so the mums didn't know about it. If you haven't asked, I would ask now.

I was given meals when my bf DS was admitted to hospital at age 2.

I think if some hospitals do then all should. It's an unclear message - is good nutrition for bf mums important or not? If they decide nhs shouldn't provide then fine but it should be everywhere. I was given food both times I was in paeds with dd and we weren't even staying overnight.

Those saying the NHS should save the money - firstly some cheap sandwiches are a drop in the ocean, it would be a very poor area to save money. Secondly there is often a surplus on wards of the basics like sandwiches so feeding a couple of extra people really is nothing.

I think you should be fed OP and I completely disagree with those saying she's acting like it's a hotel -she has to be there, she isn't a visitor.

Yes I was fed when my four week old had a short stay.

Times has changed since I was in hospital with one of my DC if parents think they should be fed while on the ward with a bf baby..

Okay it was nearly 30 years ago, but I was expect to leave my tiny unwell ebf baby overnight and go home. What they thought she was going to be fed on I have no idea, but they were insistent I couldn't stay.

However, I dug my heels in and they reluctantly allowed me to spend the night on the ward in one of the armchairs. They made it plain they thought I was being ridiculous and over protective. Can only imagine their reaction if I expected them to feed me as well.

Can't see it's the responsibility of the hospital to feed a perfectly healthy adult tbh, there's little enough money to spend on people who are actually ill. Think it's a rare mother of a small child who has no family whatsoever available to bring her some food in.

www2.rcn.org.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/270161/003544.pdf

P6 - the Royal College of Nursing good practice includes providing drinks, snacks and nutritious meals for bf mothers whose child has been admitted

I've worked on wards and the amount of food they throw away is immense. they could sell it off up here for a few quid. boom NHS crisis fixed.

The problem with this is where would it stop. There are lots of children that cannot be left alone. Paid for meals delivered to the ward is something I would support.

I think they should offer something, even if you had to pay (although can imagine that would cost more to administer than would bring in as revenue). Certainly kids wards should at least have self-catering faculties for parents if only s toaster, kettle, microwave and fridge.

I worry as some people don't have the support I have and would struggle. yesterday my poorly lo cried all day, I couldn't put him down for most of the day, it was a nightmare. surely mums need good nutrition and hydration regularly to help their babies get better?

I worry as some people don't have the support I have and would struggle. yesterday my poorly lo cried all day, I couldn't put him down for most of the day, it was a nightmare. surely mums need good nutrition and hydration regularly to help their babies get better?

I worry as some people don't have the support I have and would struggle. yesterday my poorly lo cried all day, I couldn't put him down for most of the day, it was a nightmare. surely mums need good nutrition and hydration regularly to help their babies get better?

The fact that good practice recommends it should settle any query, really

I was fed when DD2 was admitted at 8 weeks as I was expressing milk for her. I was advised not to breastfeed her directly as she had bronchiolitis and could make breathing harder for her as well as the fact they wanted to give her specific quantities so her tummy wasn't too full. The policy was to feed all breastfeeding mothers to support their breast feeding. I don't know why people are do hostile to the idea. Makes perfect sense to me to do anything for an unwell child you can, obviously the NHS recognises the health benefits of breast milk.

We have also had an occasion when DD2 was in hospital and had a meal and visiting DD1 was offered one as well despite not being a patient, presumably as it was ordered for a child who had been discharged. This must otherwise account for a lot of wasted food as you have to order before you are even sure you will still be there for the meal.

My hospital feeds breastfeeding mothers with babies under 6 months. It's smiley faces and beans but it's better than nothing.

Yes they should. When my son was admitted to the neonatal ward at 6 days old I was fed, but it was first come first served and often I was too late (there was a food trolly sort of thing with hot meals).
Also as a vegetarian the option for both lunch and dinner was half a plate of grated cheese, the other half lettuce, cucumber and tomato. I was absolutely starving for the week.