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 work on an infants ward - babies from 2/3 days old up until 2 years old - and we provide three meals a day for breast feeding mothers.

It depends on the area I guess. My newborn baby was recently admitted to hospital and we stayed overnight. I was lucky and received all meals (and I'm not breastfeeding). Dh also got given lunch and dinner. What we were told was that as it was a children's ward, they over order food as they don't know int he morning how many will be needing food that evening, and if they have ordered too many then they get given to parents. I was asked once whether I was breastfeeding, told them I wasn't, and still was given dinner.

I didn't expect it when we went in, though, as I wasn't the patient. Dh brought in food for me as I wasn't expecting anything.

It's important for mothers to have enough food, but its not the hospitals responsibility...you are not its patient. It's also a courtesy giving you tea and biscuits.

The same question could be asked of hospitals to provide meals for partners ... visiting their spouse, surely they deserve enough food regularly and of good nutritional value as well.

Take food from your home if you can't afford to buy. A bit of planning however hard it may be in the circumstances is always good. made even easier when you have father/family around.
Sandwich...fruits...veg all easy to put together to make packed meals.

However, if the individual is genuinely in need then that courtesy should be extended to them. But by no means should it be an expectation.

Although it's horrid in hospitals for kids, it's the same whether they are breastfed or not. A parent with non breastfed child still has to eat at some point. People can't go days and weeks without eating. At some point you have to just leave child with nurse or your partner or family or friend and go and eat for 30 mins. You have to leave to see at some point also. Bring snacks back when you return

To feed bf mums and not ff mums who also have to provide their childs milk while they are an inpatient would be treating bf mums more favourably i.e not equality

Depending on how ill your child is you can take them with you if you're going to the shop or restaurant. It's also much easier to leave a sleeping baby to nip and get some food than a wandering toddler.

Momma I understand that but given the NHS can't afford to pay for treatment for people, then feeding parents isn't sustainable

Livia I don't think she's saying every child who has a test should earn their parents a free lunch, just that when you have a tiny screaming child who you can't leave, and youre told by the bf nurse to eat regularly, something needs to help support that. Whether its free food or subsidised meals or just like my sons ward a trolley that comes round you can buy food off, you do need to eat!

Starving until 6 pm every night when DH can bring you a ready meal isn't helping the baby long term

Agree that it's expensive and stressful trying to feed yourself when your child is in hospital. Hope your lo is feeling happier today OP.

Our local children's hospital do feed breastfeeding mothers in with their babies. Think it might be up to 6 months? I think that's reasonable but can also see why some hospitals wouldn't. The NHS has been systematically starved of the funding it needs over the past years (to make it easier to privatise) so hospitals are struggling.

There was a small kitchen for parents on the ward I stayed on with DS, shared between two wards. There was a "friends of parents on Ward X" group that kept the kitchen stocked with milk, tea/coffee and some food - maybe once your DC is well you could ask about starting something similar?

you would have to leave the child briefly to go to the loo etc surely?

And if someone is bringing you food, can they not bring a sandwich for the next day or something?

Perhaps Op, when you are through this you and some friends could arrange a charity to do just that.

It would be very valuable work but I understand why the NHS can't do it.

When my DN was having cancer treatment,dsis was thrilled with the quality of care he received but everything that made things bearable for her during her extended stays was provided by charities (which in the years since we have raised 1000s for)

Cancer does seem to get all the pr for this type of charity but I'm sure there's a place for a charity supporting mothers breastfeeding whilst lo in hospital, although maybe based on this thread, not much support for it!

Baby in hospital incurs loads of costs, parents missing work and the distress of it all. Some of the responses here are vile.

Hope your LO's ok Op

On the ward I work on we provide food to a breast feeding mother even if the child she is breast feeding isn't the patient.

Worraliberty pack sandwiches for how many weeks in advance? She may have been in for a month, if she's sleeping beside baby every night she is going home. If Dad works he may only visit after work.

So he can bring some fresh sandwiches then.

If the father isn't around, I'm sure the OP will know someone who can bring her in some food.

If not, the canteen still sells food. It's just not hot after 2pm, so not to the OP's liking.

Yes there should be food available and it used to be provided as standard (nothing special but it was definitely there when I needed it).

As far as I can see the OP isn't even asking for 'free' food she is asking for 'available food' as food for purchase in the hospital is only available at limited times. This is an increasingly common problem for carers stuck in hospital who now need a raft of family support just to get access to a sandwich and end up relying on cheap sandwiches and cold snacks for prolonged periods which is not suitable for the babies of breast feeding mothers.

Yes its part of cuts but the problem is the massive cuts and endless reorganising of the health service not our ability to ensure that sick babies get breast milk from mothers who have eaten properly.

I don't think parents should be fed but not do I think people should make light of how difficult it can be. When ds2 was admitted to the burns unit at 6 weeks we were effectiveleffectively in isolation. He wasn't allowed to leave his room (infection control) and no one but me was allowed to be with him unless they were fully in scrubs. I was very hungry most of the time and couldn't even get a cup of tea or use the loo without travelling 10 min to the nearest parents room. Didn't want to leave him as he was so little and we were constantly waiting for the next consultant to visit, or the next xray etc to be done. Dh visited when he could and brought food but ds1 wasn't allowed on the burns unit so he had to arrange childcare first. It was a nightmare time and yes, actually, someone bringing me a sandwich or drink would really have helped.

Comparing breastfeeding with cancer?
WTAF?
Breastfeeding is a lifestyle choice- in the infants best interest i wont dispute but its a choice and there are other alternatives. Like cancer i guess- just be strong and you wont get it- for actual fucks sake

Local hospital previously only provided food for bf mums then there was a huge uproar after a mum who was ff collapsed days after being admitted because she couldn't afford to eat in the restaurant (and presumably didn't have family to bring food in). Now they only feed mums on low incomes/benefits and everybody else is reminded to bring food with them.

So yabu. Seems like there isn't a single nhs policy

There is a huge amount of food waste at meal times yet it's a disciplinary offence if we are caught feeding anyone but the patient.

My local hospital feeds bf mums. I did feel like I was taking the piss slightly when he was nearly 3 . However I was on my own there as dh was home with the other children so I kind of wanted food.

Saying that though I have found that providing there is enough food on the trolley they always try to feed any parent who is by themselves with their child, especially when they children are too young to be left for 10 mins while you nip down to the cafe or shop. Last time I was in for any length of time with smallest boy he was infectious so no leaving the room and he was also attached to me with super glue so I could hardly leave either. Just nipping to the loo involved many tears. They very kindly put us in a room just opposite the parents kitchen so at least I could run over to refill the water jug etc easily.

It is so hard being in with a child to sort out food etc, personally I would be more than happy to pay for food if there was the option of paying for the day to be able to have a portion whe the meals come round.

When people are dying due to lack of funding, when mental health services are so crap that a lot of people are being told they can't help until they make a suicide attempt, don't add to their burden even further (when they are already spending money on care of your child) by expecting to be fed. Make your own arrangements.

Or JustEat.

They'll deliver to the hospital reception.

Comparing the treatment of bf mums to cancer patients is shocking. It's not the same.

When I stayed with my son (years ago) for a week, there was a little kitchen area with microwave, kettle and fridge. This was for the parents to store and prepare their own meals. The hospital food is for the patient not the accompanying adult.

Family, brought in food for me. I also used the opportunity when they visited to nip to the shops and have a little breathing space.

If you asked the nursing staff, I'm sure they'd watch little one so you could get something to eat. But, you need to ask.

I was fed in this scenario.

Quite often, it's not the money that's the problem- it's physically getting from one side of an immense, labyrinthine county hospital to another to buy food, leaving your sick baby behind for the best part of an hour in the process.

Surely it wouldn't be too difficult to set up a system where parents could pay for food that comes round? You could build in a small profit to pay for the extra admin it would cause. And a waiver for parents on low incomes.

Five people have died on trolley's in the last few weeks in my local hospital trust.
Id rather any spare money go to keeping local wards and services afloat than feeding people due to choices they have made