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?

Well then breast feeding mothers don't require feeding. You body doesn't shut down if you have to wait a while to eat

It's best clinical practice to meet a breastfeeding mother's nutritional needs. Doesn't this tell you something about the nutritional importance of supporting this role?

Yanbu. My local hospital provides formula for bottle fed babies and I was fed when Dd3 was admitted on day 5 both in ambulatory care and later on the neonatal ward . It was hit a miss though. The nurse admitted us was a complete cow and told me I had to get my meals from cafe. Not a complete cow for saying that but for many reasons. Another nurse intervened and arranged for me to be fed on the postnatal ward.

Dutch1E Yes indeed.
The OP wasn't even asking for 'free' food or for waiter service - her point was she couldn't get access even to buy a meal because when she got a gap in caring for the child the canteen was already closed.

And for all the posters who cite extended family support bringing them meals - well I congratulate them on their good fortune but there are many lower income women and families who don't have this luxury. Specialist paediatric care in particular tends to be at limited locations and the parent in residence is often an expensive distance from the rest of the family even if they exist.

Our local hospital provide toast and tea for all parents in the parents room. It's not ideal but it's good and will do if that's all you can get! When children are older and in bays not single rooms parents often make drinks and toast for others if they can't leave the child at that point.

Many parents also put biscuits and things in there for people to help themselves too. Or as they are being discharged will tell another parent they have a ready meal in the fridge they can use.

I think some people have a rather unrealistic expedition of what should be provided. When your in with an ill child anything will do really.

'expat I'm reading your posts as angry. I have no idea if that's correct. If not, then I've misread you, sorry. '

Um, no, I'm not angry, but thanks for the psychoanalysis. Everyone is 'slow to learn' in such situations. I was, too. But I felt that I needed to be responsible for myself as a non-patient.

When one of my little ones was dropping down the centiles I was told to eat more regularly so of course it's important.

Badcat66 if a baby is tube-fed the staff will do the feeds with breast milk. So a breastfed baby isn't necessarily lucky. Not that any baby in hospital is lucky.

And everyone knows it's not entirely possible most of the time.

Unless you have the stats we just can't say how often this occurs.

It would be interesting to know what percentage of mothers of exclusively breastfeeding babies were able to be offered meals by the NHS.

All mothers require feeding. Just because a mother may not be breastfeeding doesn't mean they don't need feeding for the mental physical and emotional effort required for attending to a sick child in hospital. Which can then apply to dad's too. Can you see how this would be a massive burden on the NHS

It's best clinical practice to meet a breastfeeding mother's nutritional needs. Doesn't this tell you something about the nutritional importance of supporting this role?

You're being terribly dramatic. I'm sure it's best practice to support anyone's nutritional needs. A BFiing mother's milk supply will not be affected by her eating erratically for a few days.

I think alot of people on here sound angry and its because having a sick child in hospital is overwhelming and exasperating and thinking about that is upsetting. Other Mums are not the enemy, please all look after one another. With that in mind op, it might be worth asking another mum if she'll watch your baby for a bit if you need to. Me and the mum next to us used to take it in turns for showers/food etc as there just weren't enough staff to help.
Again I hope your baby is okay and you too

'"You should pack sandwiches." Fucking hell.' If you know you're going in, why is this so astonishing? They might not have food you like or that your child likes if he/she is old enough to eat.

And if you don't know you're going in? Or if you will be there longer than the life-span of the average picnic? Or hours from anyone who might be able to bring fresh supplies?

Yes there is always a way to figure these things out - but it's heartbreaking that a worried & frightened parent needs to manage such a basic situation as food. Speaking from experience it's easy to be so focused on your child that you don’t even realise how hungry you are until a staff member in a well-funded hospital reminds you that it's dinnertime.

Fwiw, OP, the hospital I was at had a room for parents filled with takeaway menus of local take out places who would deliver to the ward. Is there anything like that on your ward?

I suggest you tell that to the authors of the clinical guidelines then Curry. I'm sure they'll be delighted to hear that they could use this excuse for more 'efficiency' cuts!

And when the feeding schedule interfered with meal times they saved food.

I worry that you ask this. Who would pay for your meals if you didn't happen to be in hospital? You presumably? It's such a strange question. Are you used to relying on other people or organisations to support you?

YABU . They should be using money to fund healthcare for sick people - not feeding the healthy

Children's wards are meant to provide food for the mothers of exclusively breastfeeding babies Diana

Pretty sure it's not best practice to leave patients on trolleys in the corridors either but we live in the real world unfortunately.

Since did babies start dropping down centiles because mum didn't have a hot meal for a few days?

Let's get one thing straight. Most children's wards will feed mothers of very sick children, or at least offer them a sandwich if they've not been able to get away. It's an awful time of the year for respiratory illnesses so maybe the nurses were doing what they should be doing and looking after sick kids? Hence the reply to OP that she should nip to the canteen.

I have either been fed or sorted myself out. I would not expect a nurse to leave her real patients and make me a sandwich. And if OPs child was really so sick, why wasn't the father or parents or even friends there and able to help? If DH couldn't get away from work maybe you should be criticising him or his employer? And a desperately sick baby (in my experience) won't breastfeed anyway.

My DH would have left work no matter what.

I worry that you ask this. Who would pay for your meals if you didn't happen to be in hospital? You presumably? It's such a strange question. Are you used to relying on other people or organisations to support you?

This is a snide and unkind comment. It's pretty obvious that the OP doesn't have access to her normal resources. Eg groceries and a kitchen

DS2 is a student nurse and has worked on wards where it's mainly elderly patients with dementia. Their elderly relatives, usually a spouse, come in first thing in the morning and don't leave until last things at night because it keeps their relatives distress at being in hospital down slightly.

They help with the feeding and care of that patient and are a godsend (in our local trust it's encouraged that they are there). They don't get fed, or a cup of tea, or anything. DS2 was really worried about one lady who he'd not seen eat for a few days so he brought her a sandwich back for her after one break. She was very grateful, but they are of the generation who are too proud to ask, or make a fuss, so she'd have never have said anything.

It's not just parents, or mothers, or breastfeeding mothers who are visiting around the clock in hospital and once you start feeding visitiors where do you draw the line?

Half my treatment has just been withdrawn due to funding so right now I'd quite like that back and people fetch in their own pack up.

I know the NHS is under pressure - but it is also about caring for people. Saying it is there just for seriously physically sick people -where do you draw the line? Someone who is mentally ill but not suicidal shouldn't be treated?
I was in the Emergency medical unit about 2 yrs ago - on my own - not bf etc. (A bit like A&E but you are referred there by GPs/OOH etc if they think you need urgent hospital treatment.)
There was a bit of a wait and some people would have ended up being admitted (they were also in chaos and didn't even have a trolley for someone they thought was going to go into cardiac arrest) and it was lunch time.
They offered all the patients a (choice of ) sandwich...I refused mine and was told I might as well have it as it would only be thrown away otherwise...the spares were given to people accompanying the patients.
I guess if people were admitted they would have missed a meal without that sandwich. And going hungry when you are sick anyway will not make you get better any quicker.
It is a big hospital and I guess going for a sandwich would have taken 30 mins or so. It made sense not have patients wandering off - and also hungry (and in pain) people are not know for their patience and good humour -so I guess it reduced stroppiness.

We also got the tea and biscuit trolley ...
Hospitals must often have food left over - they have spares for new people filling beds, people leave, die or go nil by mouth etc. I'm sure in the OP's circumstances they could have found something for her to eat...until she could have made plans to feed herself.

There is nothing worse than being hungry (or thirsty) and feeling trapped and not wanting to make a fuss. (I had a horrible experience when DD2 (6ish) was kept in for observations - I didn't know what was happening - didn't want to leave her on her own - she was asleep and would be confused if she woke up - I was incredibly thirsty but didn't feel like I could ask either for some water -or ask if someone would watch her so I could go to the shop to get a drink...)

I was once forgotten in a private room - heavily pregnant and waiting for blood test results. The food came round but I was told not to eat until I'd had the results. I was there for 6 hrs...when they remembered me, the results were ok and I could go home but they brought me a sandwich before I left cos I'd missed a meal and said they didn't want me fainting on the way out....

Best practice guidance is just that....guidance not law. It would be great if all care settings could meet those best practice standards but each trust has to prioritise. We are so very fortunate that we have health care that is free at the point of delivery. As visitors, if we get tea, biscuits or the odd sandwich offered then great. If we don't, then we need to take responsibility for ourselves. Besides, whatever we take from the NHS potentially has an impact somewhere else down the line so being mindful of our expectations is always a good idea.