AIBU to think that all mothers should have food and water on postnatal wards?

[JustineMumsnet]

Hello,

Today, we at MNHQ are launching a new campaign called Better Postnatal Care: Aftercare, not Afterthought.

Over the years, we’ve been struck by how many MNers have related pretty horrible experiences on postnatal wards. We’ve also seen lots of discussions about longer term aspects of postnatal care: help with breast or bottle feeding, mental health care for new mothers, wound care after difficult births, and physio for women who feel they need it (but rarely feel able to ask for it) - among other things.

So, towards the end of last year we decided to see if we could do something about it. We ran a big survey of Mumsnet users’ experiences of postnatal care, and some of the results were striking. (You can see more here.) Among those who stayed in hospital after giving birth - which was most new mums - many reported that it was sometimes difficult to access food, pain relief, drinking water and washing facilities. 61% had been unable to access food when they needed it; 45% had been unable to access pain relief when they needed it; 22% had been unable to access water when they needed it; and 19% had been unable to access washing facilities when they needed them.

So today, we are asking the major UK political parties to commit, in their manifestos for the general election, to making sure that women on postnatal wards always have access to the absolute basics: food, water, pain relief and washing facilities.

We’re also asking everyone (this means you!) to contribute ideas about how we can make postnatal wards ‘fit for purpose’. More midwives? A fridge full of sandwiches, fruit and water on every ward? Asking all visitors and patients to turn off noises on their phones and personal devices? Maternity support assistants? Welcome cards by every bed explaining how the ward works? Making sure that inpatients and their visitors use headphones if they’re watching TV? We’re after all your suggestions, no matter how small. We’ll also be asking for input from healthcare workers with frontline experience - so if you’re one of those, please do chip in.

This isn’t about going into battle with people who work in maternity services in the NHS. Most of you feel that overall, over the year or so post-birth, standards of postnatal care are good or OK. When asked what needs to change, many of you say you think there should be more staff. Some of you had very good experiences: if you look at the ‘Good Stuff’ heading on this page you’ll see some shout-outs to hospitals and services that MNers say are getting things right. So we know that it can be done. What we want to do is find out how these hospitals are managing to get it right, and see if the lessons can be transferred.

In the months to come, the campaign will look in more detail at things like infant feeding, traumatic births, postnatal mental health, and follow-up care for birth injuries.

Please get involved with the campaign. Here are some ways you can help.

And as ever - do let us know what you think!

Thanks

I was always kept topped up with water which was fine. However as a coeliac I was given two boiled potatoes with butter for my dinner the day I gave birth. Shocking that in a hospital they had no options for those with dietary needs. My partner had to go to the shop and buy me some bread and made me up some sandwiches.
I understand that we are up in the night feeding but there should be a ban on speaking on the phone and hearing tv/music after 10pm.

Sarahrellyboo1987

just because you've had a baby doesn't make you incapable of getting your own water etc

It certainly does when you're numb from the waist down from a spinal block and the jug on your table is empty and the call bell has been left out of reach.

sarah did it ever cross your mind that women who have just had a baby might have had instrumental deliveries, major abdominal surgery and a series of other medical issues which might be the reason they aren't able to fetch their own water?
Babies are delivered 24/7 which means women miss meals. Extra calories are required for breast feeding and replenishing the body after birth.
When I worked in the Emergency Department sandwiches and toast were always on hand as admissions were obviously across irregular hours. If they can manage sandwiches and toast at 3am on ED and medical assement wards where patients are ferried to at all times of day, in a similar to fashion to post natal then they can do it over on maternity.

No other inpatient in the NHS is expected to deal with aggressive wounds or post surgical issues without adequate nutrition, hydration or rights as a routine procedure. They also do not have to care for another patient whilst having to walk up to 400m for food and water. So spare us the "entitled" patter, women who have given birth in the UK will have paid into the NHS handsomely, usually for years, they are entitled to be treated with a minimum standard of care post natally even if that just means water and a specific number of calories per day.

'Yore brought 3 meals a day in the hospital - if you want more you can ask for it and they always have shops.'

RTFT! It's chock full of people who were 'brought' FA and unable to move to fetch anything or didn't know where to go for food, were told 'No food or water' when they asked, who needed food at a time when the shops and canteen were shut.

I'm flabbergasted that anyone thinks that the need for food and water is any way 'entitled'.

Definitely a little card explaining where things are and what is expected of you. I couldn't find any receptical for water while changing DS1 bum used my plastic drinking cup instead of asking busy nurses for help (I'm a sort it myself kind of person don't really like asking for help) then had no cup 😂 The hospital I had my children in did bring your meals round but I also did not like being woken for breakfast curtains all pulled back lights all on at 7am when DS1 was asleep having being born at 5.40am and having been awake since 7am day before 😴

Free & for all new mums!

I'm all for the guide on how things work on the ward.
I had my 1st in one hospital, and they were really good, told me where things were and I could go help myself to tea/coffee in the patients area . Told me about food/meals and what to do.
My son was in NICU for a few days and the ward was my home for 7 days in total.
It deff took me 48 hours to figure out where everything was so having something written down to refer to would have helped me feel more confident.

My 2nd was in a different hospital. Got taken to ward and left.
Never been there before, didn't know what their protocol was and spoke to no one from 10pm ish when I get there to 6am when the midwives did round's. Didn't even know where toilet was.
I could really have done with a guide.

I think staff need to be more aware that some new mums have never stayed in hospital before too.
I was a kid the last time I had a hospital stay (mum stayed with me 24/7) so the whole thing was new to me.

Why not have bottles of water given to you (maybe big bottles) when you have a baby?

Sarah do you actually have any idea how inaccurate and patronising your post is? Have you read any of the experiences of othe women on this thread?

It is actually not the case that all women can get up and get food or water for themselves, equally many women will not have a partner with them to do this either. It is not the case that all women get offered 3 meals a day - surely this thread has illustrated this by now?

Maybe you should really think before you post, especially if you are going to accuse women of going through awful and in some cases traumatic experiences of post natal care of just being "entitled".

It is not entitled to expect to be treated as a patient if your have had surgery, anaesthetic or suffered a serious wound, catheter insertion etc. It is not entitled to think, if this is the case, that it is within your your care provider''s responsibility that you can access the fundamental needs of food and water. It is not entitled to think that if you give birth at 1am you should not have to wait until 8am for even the possibility of being offered food - and even then facing the possibility of not getting any because you can't get it yourself. It is not entitled to think that if you have a serious wound that it is part of a medical professional''s job to make sure you can get to the toilet etc. It is not entitled to think that pain relief should be accessible after a major operation. It is not entitled to want to be treated with some dignity and compassion when you are vulnerable.

Your dismissive and ridiculous post has honestly made me so angry, given how many women on this thread have poured their hearts out on here recounting their experiences, saying how upsetting it is to write about etc.

Nurses and midwives aren't slaves - just because you've had a baby doesn't make you incapable of getting your own water etc. Yore brought 3 meals a day in the hospital - if you want more you can ask for it and they always have shops.

Um ... no, you aren't brought three meals! Did you not read any posts?

And asking for food - including those three meals that you'd think would be basic - resulting in an angry lecture for us.

DP was catheterised and unable to move from her bed, and had had a spinal block. This is really, really common. Plus there are women who are in agonising pain, who are still suffering blood loss and might faint, who are medicated to high levels and can't think straight - all of these are considered quite able to cope with a postnatal ward with self-service food in a dining room down the hallway.

I have aspergers syndrome I hated my hospital experience im pretty sure it caused my post natal depression from not being allowed to sleep to the constant judgement from the nurses it was a nightmare. We made to feel like the mothers didnt matter at all. I get that a child comes first in any situation but that doesn't mean I cant be comfortable or have enough sleep. No pain relief or mental health care at all. Its disgusting and dangerous. This is supposed to be the happiest time of our lives and we need to reclaim it. Its too important not to .

*edit
The fact I had aspergers syndrome wasn't taken into account apart from to write in big capital letters under my name at the front of the ward.

And let's not forget just plain ducking exhaustion! I had an epidural and so had a catheter (as such couldn't move out of bed, like LRD''s partner), but even without that I was so damn tired after well over 24 hours awake, I was literally dropping off holding my baby and would luckily jolt awake. This is hardly a fit state to be wondering around looking for food, or anything else I needed. Even if you had a completely straightforward birth it is awful that the onus is still on the women to care for themselves.

Sarahrellyboo1987, are you even female?

I haven't given birth, but as I consider wanting children in the future, I have read up on some of the injuries that can occur, and they aren't pretty.

Can't imagine that anyone who might get pregnant can have remained so willfully ignorant of the risks.

sarah don't be silly dear

Direct entry midwives have no nursing qualification. This needs addressing urgently. The training should be nursing followed by midwifery diploma.

bsabas

"This is supposed to be the happiest time of our lives and we need to reclaim it. It's too important not to."

That's a really good way of putting it. Exactly that.

YY, cherries. It's hammered into you that you must not fall asleep with the baby in your arms, but if you're exhausted, you are going to be worrying about it! Not a good start.

michael

I am not criticising individual students far from it but the training system isn't working it really isn't.

I know uni students do ward secondments I worked with some before I left ward work but they were observers not part of the team.

Every time I've been in hospital, either for myself or DS, student nurses have absolutely been part of the team- when I was on a paeds ward with DS it was a student nurse who settled us in, showed us around, filled up jugs of water etc. Same on a post surgery ward.

just because you've had a baby doesn't make you incapable of getting your own water etc.

Have you ever wondered why women give birth in hospitals if it's such a walk in the park and not dangerous or causing injuries or exhausting at all?

If I was fucking well enough to fucking walk around and go shopping after giving birth, I'd fucking leave the hospital and go home. It's not like hospital beds are so very comfy or something.

Y y to should be the happiest time when women are arguably at their most vulnerable. Child birth is so invasive so visceral so raw that women need the very best of care and support to cope.

Great thread and campaign MNHQ

I admit it's something I've given very little thought to for years... until I found out I was unexpectedly pregnant. By the time I give birth it'll be over 8 years since the last time, so it'll be... interesting to see if/how things have changed.

I remember being surprised with DC2 that we had to walk to get our meals, so presumably in the hospital where I had DC1 (which was dismal in other ways such as breastfeeding support) it'd been brought to us. But I assumed it was to encourage us to get up and about. I'd taken food in my bag anyway so I had a ready supply of cereal bars etc. I don't recall being thirsty, I think there was plenty of jugs available.

better mental health training and better staff numbers!

I was really ill and no one noticed. The nurse just told me i needed to calm down.
They were also trying to make my partner leave overnight.
I was completely loops. I didnt recognise anyone and i thought my baby wasnt real. I shouldnt have been threatened with being left alone. My partner thankfully persuaded me to just leave against medical advice so that he could watch me overnight at home. If i hadnt left and id been sat on that ward by myself overnight (and there was a shortage of staff so you do spend a lot of time with no staff supervision) im fairly sure i would have hurt myself or my baby.
I wasnt actually treated for my PND until i went back in because my stitches came undone and was seen by a doctor who immediately saw that i was mentally unwell.
Surely the staff on the recovery ward should be able to spot the signs of serious PND.
I was treated like i was just an oversensitive first time mum when in fact id completely lost the plot. I was hearing things that werent there and i thought everyone was whispering about me! I thought the baby wasnt mine! According to my partner i was even saying this out loud to staff!
It took me ages to get better just because it was left so long before i was treated. I still think about how awful that ward was and to be honest its really put me off ever having a baby again because i wouldnt be able to rely on their being enough support if i had similar problems again
.
It was like they wanted there to be nothing wrong with me because they didnt want the hassle of dealing with it there. It felt as though there entire focus was ticking boxes on some form rather than actual patient care.
As far as i can tell it was mainly down to staff shortage. All the staff were rushed and couldnt put more individual care in because they were having to do far too much work.

The food was scarce yes, i think i got a sandwich because i missed the meal times due to when i gave birth, but the only sandwich they had had meat in and im vegetarian so i just had to eat the bread.
Thats low down on my list of complaints though.

I honestly dont know what i would have done if my partner hadnt been there. So i feel horrified at the thought of single women being on those wards... who helps them? I can imagine they are sat there for ages without food and water yes.

My whole postnatal experience was terrible. I was terrified. 40 hour Labour ending with episiotomy and forceps delivery. There was a lady who couldn't get out of bed as shed just had a c section and her baby cried none stop all night. I had a catheter fitted and couldn't get out of bed but nobody came to help me with my son. There's a complete lack of care and attention.

My son is five months old and I saw a health visitor when he was 8 weeks. Midwives came for 3 days and discharged me, having never checked my stitches or felt at my stomach.

My son's eight week check up consisted of the doctor asking what contraception I would use and saying he couldn't examine my son because it was too cold.

Better training, more staff and more information for mothers.