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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think post natal wards are absolute shit?

328 replies

SprogletsMum · 12/04/2017 17:43

I had ds2 this morning and have been put onto a full 4 bay ward.

2 of the 3 other women have been quiet most of the day but one keeps ringing people all day long. There has not been a single minute of quiet all day.
I've been awake since 1am and I'm shattered but she just won't shut up.
I'm going home to the other 3 dc for some peace and quiet as soon as ds2s 12 hours of obs are up.

OP posts:
alltouchedout · 12/04/2017 17:47

Yanbu. They're awful. Post natal with ds1 really added to my choice to have home births with subsequent dc! Noisy, hot, bright, uncomfortable places with daft rules and no privacy and unpleasant food. Ugh.

elliejjtiny · 12/04/2017 17:49

Yanbu at all. I was in for 3 days with ds4 and 8 days with ds5. Boiling hot, loud, other people's annoying visitors. The staff were lovely but there were nowhere near enough of them to look after everyone properly. Hope you can get home soon

Adelie0404 · 12/04/2017 17:51

Yup, they are awful. I'm a medic and thought the standard of care was awful. So understaffed. Couldn't wait to get out of there. Unfortunately had to stay 3 days with DC1 and somewhat better, about 3 hours after DC2!

ProudBadMum · 12/04/2017 17:54

Congratulations!

I was in 9 days, a few days before I had him and few after. Lomgest days of my life. It's so warm on the wards, you need slippers though because the hosp floor is cold which I never understood

The food is rank as well. The lights are so bright

Luckily with my second I left the delivery ward to go home. Never been so excited Grin

PumpkinPie2016 · 12/04/2017 17:54

YANBU my experience was awful - understaffed, no support (I had a c-section followed by blood transfusion and was feeling faint), hot, noisy and awful good as well.

I had my son at 3am on a Wed morning and insisted on going home Fri tea time for some peace and support!

PumpkinPie2016 · 12/04/2017 17:55

Food not good!

Mothervulva · 12/04/2017 17:55

So hot and loud. Awful.

ClemDanfango · 12/04/2017 17:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Laniakea · 12/04/2017 17:58

yanbu ... absolutely everything about them is awful. Lack of care, temperature, light, noise, lack of privacy, food, lack of fluids, drugs being given late (if at all), rudeness from staff, obnoxious fellow patients & visitors, filthy bathrooms etc. Just horrendous (my combined time on post natal wards is a little under four weeks and it was dire every time).

EdenX · 12/04/2017 17:59

Yes, awful. I only stayed about 8 hours with DS2 and that was long enough.

RainyDayBear · 12/04/2017 18:00

YANBU, having a DC2 will be dependent on DP agreeing to stay on the ward with me this time. I am not being left alone there with no support again! Worst part of giving birth for me, and I say this after a five day back to back labour and EMCS!

trowelmonkey1 · 12/04/2017 18:01

YANBU. Labour was a breeze compared to the three days I spent on the postnatal ward. It was an utterly miserable experience that contributed to me developing PND.

Chaby · 12/04/2017 18:01

I agree, got myself discharged ASAP as felt very vulnerable, left alone even though in severe pain and trauma after emergency c-section, and was not receiving any support, thought I would be better off at home. Up until baby was born I wouldn't fault the care but was not a happy experience those few hours I spent on postnatal ward.

Roomba · 12/04/2017 18:05

Congratulations! Flowers

YANBU. I was in for 5 weeks with DS1 - 3 weeks of that pre birth. I was admitted due to v high BP, it was decided I needed 'rest' - Pah! I was woken every hour all night, it was so noisy, crowded and filthy I was appalled. I certainly wasn't rested by the time I had DS!

After I had him I was moved to my own room (c-section with complications, I was seriously ill and DS was in NICU). It was still too hot and loud, but at least I got slightly more rest, though not much.

When I had DS2 I was out of the door 24hrs post section. I wasn't spending a second longer than absolutely necessary in there.

No partners are allowed overnight in my local unit. I can't even imagine what people have to put up with in those that allow this.

ElectricMelon · 12/04/2017 18:05

Lack of care, temperature, light, noise, lack of privacy, food, lack of fluids, drugs being given late (if at all), rudeness from staff, obnoxious fellow patients & visitors, filthy bathrooms etc

This^^

I was in for 2 days and it was horrendous. 3 years on and it still really upsets me/makes me angry at how awful it was

megletthesecond · 12/04/2017 18:06

Yanbu. It was the worst three days of my life. Being in pain, trying to feed and pump in public, no peace and quiet. I remember sobbing to baby ds (now 10) and telling him we'd not stay another day Sad. That was ten years ago and it still upsets me.

OooohHorlicks · 12/04/2017 18:06

Yes I agree and it is important because you are at your most vulnerable. I will say though that while my first experience with DC1 in a busy teaching hospital was bordering on dehumanising and left me utterly traumatised, my second (in a hospital in the Home Counties) with DC2 was like a hotel stay. It was so relaxing, wonderful staff and although I shared with 3 others they were all lovely. In fact my friend who had her first DC on the same night and had booked a private room asked to be transferred onto the ward because it was such a nice atmosphere.

To this day I believe that had I had my first DC in the second hospital I would have approached the first year of motherhood with a completely different (more positive) outlook.

NoArmaniNoPunani · 12/04/2017 18:09

YANBU. I was in for 2 weeks. They were the hardest two weeks of my life. My son was in SCBU, all the other women had their babies with them. The bloody bounty woman kept coming round taking photos which felt like my face was being rubbed in it that my DS wasn't with me. Those 2 weeks definitely contributed to my PTSD.

listsandbudgets · 12/04/2017 18:13

Agree - almost wonder if they make them miserable to get us to leave quicker.

Oddly enough when I had dd (now 11) it was a fairly agreeable experience which was lucky as I was there for 4 days.

When DS (4) was born though it was a totally different experience. Fromt the moment I arrived at 3am head over heels in love with my son and said to the lady admitting me "he's quite lovely isn't he" and she responded "not really seen one baby seen them all" I couldn't wait to leave. Food was vile, ward was noisy and the bed was lumpy Confused The only person who was really nice to me was the cleaner who found me weeping with ds in my arms because he wouldn't latch on. That lovely woman took one look dried my tears, gave me a hug and practically shoved him on muttering "don't worry darling I've had 4 myself they're all difficult at first" Thankfully we were home by 4pm

SoftBlocks · 12/04/2017 18:15

YANBU. I was desperate to go home even after a C-section! The birth itself was fantastic, I couldn't have asked for better care, but afterwards .,.crowded, noisy and understaffed. Horrible.

HeyRoly · 12/04/2017 18:19

Postnatal wards are hell, and no other hospital patient would be expected to do so much for themselves (fetch meals, etc) and also get no sleep/rest.

I nearly lost my mind after three nights of zero sleep with DC1. For DC2 I had an elective section and no way was I going to spent any more than one night on the postnatal ward - surgery or no surgery.

I got myself out of there 26 hours post op.

ClemDanfango · 12/04/2017 18:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

HeyRoly · 12/04/2017 18:23

I suffered from horrific postnatal anxiety/depression (probably aspects of PTSD too) and it was definitely due to the poor care I received postnatally. I have never felt so scared and vulnerable and alone. And I learned that the care I received was totally normal for a postnatal ward.

kel1493 · 12/04/2017 18:23

They really are terrible. My lo was in NICU/ SCBU for 12 days. So he wasn't with me at all. I was stuck in the postnatal ward with other mums with their babies. And I know it's no ones fault, but I wanted my baby to be okay and be there with me, and he wasn't, and I hated it. And I couldn't see him for a while because they had to do all what was necessary, and I couldn't hold him at first, and when I could there was a nurse watching me the whole time, and I literally got a minute or 2 before he had to go back in the incubator.
That was the hardest part of the whole thing for me tbh

Titsywoo · 12/04/2017 18:29

My experience wasn't great (although nowhere near as bad as some of yours!). The ward was filthy dirty and DH had to clean up with dettol wipes (blood splattered on the floor and thick dust everywhere). Some of the midwives were nice but a few were just mean and bossy. There was only 2 of us in the room I was in but the first one was in labour and the sound of her moaning and sucking on gas and air was not particularly conducive to a good nights sleep and I'd been awake 40 hours at this point. The next morning she went off to delivery and a lady who had had a csection came in but kept calling nurses as she was worried about her babies breathing. By the time I got home that evening I was delirious with exhaustion. Luckily DH had slept ok since he'd been sent home the night before at 8pm so he could look after DD for a few hours.

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