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?

but we live in the real world unfortunately

Yes we do. Nobody's saying the NHS isn't overstretched or that things happen that shouldn't.

We don't know WHY Op hasn't been offered meals. Her experience is not the same as many other posters on this thread. Why were they fed but she isn't?

Just because mistakes happen, it doesn't mean that we shouldn't continue to strive for best practice where possible. It shouldn't be about a race to the bottom.

Really? Even if it meant losing a day's pay or a job and unable to pay the bills or feed other children or pay the rent? If it cost a days meal budget to pay for transport to get to the hospital?

Because that category of 'precariate' is growing rapidly just as the NHS is being slashed.

Daisy, I don't mean this argumentatively but you say:

The resident breastfeeding mother needs to be provided with appropriate drinks, snacks and wholesome nutrition to meet her and her infant’s calorie requirement. The standards and provisions of the facilities and the quality of the sustenance offered should be the subject of regular audit.This should be the responsibility of senior nursing staff.

This guidance does not state that it should be provided for free, which is what the OP has implied she wants. It just suggests the breastfeeding mother is provided with appropriate food and drink, which I think a canteen/vending machine could provide in exchange for payment.

being mindful of our expectations is always a good idea.

Definitely - all I'm saying is it isn't unreasonable for the OP to wonder if she'll be able to be fed or not. Even someone explaining that "sorry, we can't uphold the policy at the moment due to funding issues" would be understandable and reasonable

"Are you used to relying on other people or organisations to support you?"

Yes, FFS, of course. I travel on roads not built by my own fair hands every fucking day.

'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.'

There can be many reasons why and it's much more common than you might think. Our 'nearest' children's hospital, for example, is 2 hours away from our home by car - and it serves most of the west of Scotland, including islands. It can cost an absolute bomb to get to if you're way out. But that's where DD1 had to be treated. We had a 6-year-old and a 3-year-old (who has autism) at home and no, no one to look after them all the time - my family is abroad and DH's are on the other side of the country and in very poor health.

So often I was on my tod with her even when she was very ill. The night she went into ICU, a friend sat with her all night as she was conscious (and 8 so aware, not a young baby) and I was already so tired I was feeling seriously faint and there are no beds to sleep in for family.

If you're not in there through illness then no, you shouldn't be fed. I'm in the South East and when I had DCs I wasn't fed other than straight after the births when I was given tea and toast. I didn't expect to be fed, to be fair. And there was a canteen plus locals newsagents etc so anyone visiting could bring something in or nip out.

Well if op is just wondering if she can be fed or not she'd be better off asking the staff on the ward rather than mumsnet.

I wonder if people like the Op would accept a charge for £5 a day to be able to order a meal to the ward with the meal deliveries?

Drinking - I wondered that too, but it doesn't chime with the experiences of the mothers here who HAVE been fed. The word 'provided' also surely implies it's free. If you had an invitation or itinerary which said

"you will be provided with drinks, snacks and wholesome nutrition"

I wouldn't expect to pay.

Yes slightly building your own road would be just as achievable as toddling down the corridor to buy some food ffs
Please people, hysteria doesn't help back your point up

Our local children's hospital feeds the mums of exclusively breastfed babies. My daughter was in hospital at 6 weeks old due to a virus. Her room had a fold down bed and I stayed with her solid for the week she was in. The food was basic and it was supplimented by my husband when he visited but it was hugely supportive given the stress of the situation and another young child to care for. As she was so young and feeding often it would have been very hard for me to leave and leave her distressed and thrashing about whilst connected to a variety of tubes and monitors.

No- you'd be feeding yourself and feeding your baby wherever you were, and the NHS is under-funded as it is. If I were in hospital with my baby I would rather funds went on essential care for the baby than catering.

'Really? Even if it meant losing a day's pay or a job and unable to pay the bills or feed other children or pay the rent? If it cost a days meal budget to pay for transport to get to the hospital? '

This. And not everyone has family who can be there. When DD1 was dying in PICU, my parents were thousands of miles away and thankfully had the means to get here fast.

'Free at point of use' isn't the same as 'free', and the NHS isn't free for most of us. It's paid for from taxes taken from money that we've earned. NI contributions go into the general taxes fund, not what it was originally created for, as well.

I would rather funds went on essential care for the baby than catering.

Experts consider providing food for the exclusively breastfeeding parent as 'essential care'.

But we've already had the predictable questioning of the experts here

That is only best practice Daisy,lots of things are,many far more worthy.Doesn't mean they can or should be mandatory.

Jesus Christ on a bike they have really done a number on us haven't they?
So many people saying that bf mothers and parents cant be expected to be fed whilst their children are in hospital.
We have got to this point of low expectation by the drip drip drip of propaganda from above.

And we are falling for it.

Be grateful they don't let your baby die but don't expect any food while yo you are caring for them.
What is next 'be grateful they are going to treat your elderly mother don't be so greedy and expect her to have a bed to sleep in while they do it, the NHS is on its knees!'

Turkeys voting for fucking Christmas.

Experts consider providing food for the exclusively breastfeeding parent as 'essential care'.

Yes, and like someone else has pointed out, getting critically ill patients into hospital beds is fairly 'essential care' too. Do you mind if they just sort that out first?

I wonder if people like the Op would accept a charge for £5 a day to be able to order a meal to the ward with the meal deliveries?

That would be a great solution and hopefully make a small profit for the hospital

Both of our local hospitals feed breastfeeding mums, and pregnant women. When I was on the paeds ward with my daughter, I was offered food as they knew I was pregnant, and one of the other parents started kicking off that they weren't offered anything. How it worked was kids, pregnant people/breastfeeding, and if anything was left, it was offered to the other people

GreenGinger2 OP's AIBU is:

AIBU to think that if your baby is in hospital and Mum is staying as fully breastfeeding, the ward should feed Mum?

Clinical guidelines say yes, previous posters in her situation (who have been fed) say yes, people who think the NHS shouldn't provide food for nursing mothers say no, some other people say yes.

That is only best practice Daisy,lots of things are,many far more worthy.Doesn'tn they can or should be mandatory.

It's how things should be, if possible. So OP isn't being unreasonable to wonder if she's entitled to be fed.

Yes, and like someone else has pointed out, getting critically ill patients into hospital beds is fairly 'essential care' too. Do you mind if they just sort that out first?

If a ward can't afford to uphold best practice then they will be able to explain that to Rosie themselves, won't they?

I agree with namechangemergency. There needs to be a non political debate about the NHS we want and what it will cost realistically. Followed by a reasoned debate about how it should be paid for and that wouldn't by any means be the US model. My view s that at present I wouldn't be prepared to pay more for the standard of service being provided.

Why are people looking at it as "patients on trolleys vs following best practice (that saves money long term) for feeding bfing mothers"?

Why aren't they asking whether it's of greater benefit to society to increase the tax bracket for those on more than £42,500 by £2,500, or to fund the NHS to a level where it doesn't need to make desperate choices?

Why are the relatively well off so dependent on handouts?