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 do remember thinking, what the hell would I do if I couldn't walk? I was lucky that my labour was pretty uneventful really, a few stitches but that was it, so although I was sore I could walk. Goodness knows how it would've been if I was unable to move. There was a lovely tea lady coming round with hot drinks a few times a day but having food brought to us wasn't an option.

I'm more worried this time as I developed a chronic illness since my last child and even without having pushed a person out of me, I'm sometimes in too much pain to get up and get food etc.

After birth they couldn't find me a bed until noon ( gave birth at 4 in the morning). I did get toast in delivery room. Baby was knocked out due to drugs during delivery. Managed to shower but got no help. Food was tiny portion of what was supposed to be pasta bake, it was horrible and watery. Can't remember if I got any tea. Kept up all night by one other girl and her partner watching TV. Can't remember if I got any breakfast but I think it was very small if I did. Asked to be discharged asap but they said I couldn't leave until afternoon due to post natal checks. Lunch trolley arrived and all the vegetarian option had been taken despite me asking for it on the order, they asked if I could eat meat for a change, said no. They said there was sandwich machine. Sandwiches virtually inedible. Asked to be discharged again. Finally got home so stood and cooked tea as so hungry. No advice on breastfeeding, luckily I'd read stuff on the internet and muddled through, managed to feed until 16 months. Didn't have a second child so don't know what it's like now...

I do dread going into hospital as regards of food though!

I had to walk a really long way to see my baby on NICU post section and was in a great deal of pain and ended up having the scar packed for months on end.
With my last baby the pain relief protocol had changed and another lady and I just sat crying and begging for analgesia.
My experiences have left me with no happy feelings about postnatal care, and I haven't even started on not being able to breastfeed and what a traumatic thing that was.
The staff behaved like you were putting them out when you asked for help and expected so much more of a post op section mother than they should have.

Definitely agree about the food tray. I had a long labour and an emergency csection and hadn't been able to eat for about 48. The room came round before visiting hours and I wasn't even told. I ended up collapsing on a very hot ward due to dehydration and low sugar levels. A few hours later when on a drip my parents/husband arrived to visit and with food. They were shocked that the food tray was outside (I didn't even know it was there) and asked the nurses how they had expected me to walk to the corridor after my surgery and a catheter.

I would also say a bit of empathy wouldn't go a miss. When I arrived at the hospital in labour, I was forced to stand through contractions in an intimate reception area to get checked in. I was shaking and moaning through heavy contractions all in front of various patient husbands, so undignified. I was told to shush by a midwife. A couple of hours after my my csection a nurse shouted at me to pull myself together because I wasn't the only one who had ever had a section and then lifted up her top to show me her vertical scar. I was in agony, forceps, ventouse, section, a bruised swollen baby and I felt like an emotional wreck.

Cleanliness, my hospital ward was filthy. I was expected to have a shower in a filthy bath and the bins were overflowing with bloody sanity towels, I seriously thought I was going to get MRSA in my scar.

The other thing I found difficult was the fact no one seemed to care about my dignity. Just walking in on me, not introducing themselves, pulling down my top etc. Also, midwives should not have long fingernails! Ouch.

I ended up with PTSD.

Restrict visitors. One person per bed at a time with the exception the father.

The people next to me were calling relatives in the middle of the night and on speaker phone!! I complained and the midwife asked them not to and they did it again 5 mins later. Phones on silent sounds good and no calls between 10pm and 7am would be reasonable.
I can't believe some of the food situations. The food was pretty poor but it was brought to me three times a day. My husband brought me edible things from Waitrose as well.

'With my last baby the pain relief protocol had changed and another lady and I just sat crying and begging for analgesia. '

The lady next to me when I had DS, my 3rd, cried for pain meds continually after her CS, all she got was oral paracetamol. The second night, she was delirious with pain and exhaustion and could not respond to her baby. And no one responded to my buzzer or the other woman in the room. Oral paracetamol after major abdo surgery. You couldn't make it up.

We were also expected to get up and go for meals (I only learned this after I missed breakfast and lunch, although I had food in my bag from learning the hard way with DD1 and having had an epidural, I couldn't feel my legs fully till after lunch, anyhow), BUT, you weren't supposed to leave your baby on its own and you couldn't leave the room with the baby. So, if you have no partner/person, how were you supposed to eat? My h had to stay with our other two children 2 hours away (I had to go to a CLU due to my high blood pressure) from our home where all our friends are, too.

I left DS in his cot and got told off. 'Then how I am supposed to eat? I don't have anyone who can sit here with him.' I got told, 'Surely there's someone.' 'Let me just find my wand and magic one up.' Bunch of bitches.

Ban Bounty. Total disgrace.

A mobile shop with basics like breast pads, toothbrush and paste, hair brush, hairbands, shampoo etc, snacks, bottled water, magazines.
There should be a visitors list so you can approve who can come to visit, when and for how long.

Maternity hospitals and matrons should make a comeback

Adequate food is needed, I remember my dp having to bring me in packets of biscuits etc as meals were so tiny ( I remember being ravenous as breastfeeding )
Adequate knowledge about tongue ties, it was implied I was inadequate as dd not feeding, it was only when the NCT breastfeeding advisor came in that she identified tongue tie. Staff on the ward also said "we almost drop kicked her on to the island in the night as she wouldn't settle"
Definitely need info on how the ward works, the staff on my maternity ward waited for you to struggle on your own before putting you straight. I was also dragging expressing machine round the ward following C section !
A better protocol for length of time before birth intervention, my male midwife wouldn't seek help from a doctor so eventually it became a crisis and I had to have an emergency C section, luckily my dd didn't suffer brain damage.
Privacy, Bounty woman whipped open my curtains before I realised she wasn't a clinical professional !
A change in emphasis, staff definitely imply we are an inconvenience, wards should be run for benefit of mothers and baboes, not staff.

When I gave birth 32 years ago I had very supportive post natal care. Meals brought, help and analgesia as necessary and very kind sympathetic care. I was a nurse in the same hospital but I know that was the norm as I had worked on post natal myself. The care I witnessed recently was streets away from that. My partner was told "you are not ill. You've had a baby" after an emergency section, baby in SCBU and her with type one diabetes. She was sent to have a shower without help or told she wouldn't be allowed to see her baby. Of course I helped her. Food was pretty non existent and the staff seemed ill informed. I could go on.
I think the problem is the post natal wards run with the aim of discharging the new mother asap so when there are problems with mum or baby they are ill equipped to deal with it. This is of course unacceptable and midwives are bound by statute for the care they are meant to give. Sorry for long ramble.

Gave birth in 2015 and I thought the postnatal ward was awful but not for the reasons above. There was water, tea, hot choc and coffee available at any time, plus toast and biscuits. Apart from breakfast, meals were brought to each bed and I thought were nice, tasty and varied - and I'm a vegetarian! My only problem with the meal times was they seemed to be on old people time so the evening meal was at 5pm- far too early so you'd be eating toast all night to get through to breakfast.

What I would change was the unrestricted visiting. Between 8am and 10pm anyone could come in, and they did. Huge families, children being noisy. People falling over each other because it was crowded. It was totally unnecessary as most women were only there 24 hours (I was in 3 days) and these people could easily have visited them at home. In theory partners couldn't stay overnight but several hung around long after 10pm and were in early. What you need after birth is rest and quiet. It would be better to restrict visitors to, say. 2-4 and 6-8pm and give women chance to rest.

Also, I gave birth in a Baby Friendly Hospital so there was no nursery- each baby was in a crib next to the bed. I was rather cross about not getting a choice about this as I'd rather have had the baby somewhere safe and an opportunity to rest/recuperate with someone waking me to feed. It would make the bays quieter as six women and six babies in a bay is never going to be quiet. It also made it really hard to get a shower as the actual washing facilities were quite good but there was nowhere to leave the baby whilst you went to use them? Unlike in SCBU (we were readmitted) where the staff would watch the baby whilst you showered.

First birth 10 years ago , couldn't fault the hospital (wasn't the hospital I was planning on giving birth at but we were away for the weekend). Had an epidural and got given a bed bath a few hours later by some lovely elderly ladies. They were brilliant. Couldn't fault the care I'd received. Last birth, a whole different experience. Just made it into the hospital I was supposed to give birth in and baby was born an hour later. Got high on gas and air. After DD was born, they left us in the delivery room for almost 2 hours with my legs still spread apart. When the midwives finally came back, they were wondering why I haven't showever yet? My legs were like jelly. My husband had to lift me off the bed and put me into the wheelchair to be moved onto the antenatal ward (with my backside showing to the whole world through the slit in the back of the blood covered gown). No way did I have the strength to stand in a shower. All there was between my mucky blood soaked fanny and the seat of the wheelchair is a pad that I was trying to hold onto by squeezing my tights together. Disgusting. I just wanted to go home. If I had my chance again, I would have discharged myself and baby straight away. No way would I put up with it again.

The staff were on the ball with food drink and meds at my hospital but were rubbish taking me to nicu always had to wait hours then would miss my lunch because if i went back up to the ward would take me hours to get back down. I had c sec. Also wouldn't help me hand express after first day at night got told to go to sleep instead then they refused to get me a pump even though my baby was being tube fed. I got really cross and sad as i couldn't do anything for my baby. 😢

My baby wouldn't sleep in cot & "dangerous" on me so I slept around 3-4hrs over 2/3 nights & couldn't keep my eyes open.
Oh came in day to see baby & I wasn't allowed to sleep forvpeople checking things, taking bloods, asking me if I'd pooed. Then was told off for not sleeping in the day when I couldn't stay awake at night. Maybe let sleeping mothers sleep? Have someone who can hold the baby to let mum sleep. Midwives eventually did with me after I'd fallen asleep with her on me a few times & my eyes were nearly rolling in my head, but I was made to feel that it was a massive hassle & to be fair it probably was for them cos they were snowed under

Think need lots more midwives.

@Batgirlspants you seem to be under the impression that Nursing students spend no time on the wards.

Unless you do the required amount of hours in practice to qualify. Despite passed the academic side of my training (passed with distinction), I'd had 2 bouts of serious illness and had to make up the time with out pay on the wards even though the time missed had been study time.

We had to do all the stuff the 'old' students did, except we weren't treated like slave labour, and the only time we were 'observers' was when seeing a new skill, it was still the see one, do one (and be assessed), teach one.

The old students spent more time on the ward. So either there needs to be more staff, or students need to spend more time on the wards.

I would go as far as calling the night staff on the postnatal ward with ds1 14 years ago abusive.
There really is no other word for such cruelty and ignorance.
They ave been let anywhere near vulnerable women and babies.

Kindness and empathy wouldn't go a miss... to be fair these midwives have seen 1000000s of births... I hadn't!! I had no idea what to expect as I was brought in in an emergency and Hollywood lies.... it's not all push push and then awww!!
Screaming babies, excessive visitors, being prodded awake at 6am due to the change of rotation but you've only been asleep for 35 minutes because the baby in the next cubicle only went quiet 45 minutes ago!
I was close to a nervous breakdown before I'd even given birth but as soon as my son was born in had to go in to emergency surgery due a ripped placenta so I lost 4 pints of blood, I had 5 of those canulas hanging out of my arms, on a drip, on a catherta! Every time I moved I ripped something whilst laying in bloody bed sheets!! Horrific!! I just wanted some help and understanding!!

That said I'd do it again in a heart beat if I could for another baby!! Can't please us girls eh?

I'd like to add to my list:

• for DD1 I really wish I had not been put in a room with 7 other mothers all with their healthy newborns while my DD was in NICU fighting for her life. I appreciate resources are limited and I was moved to a family room with DH after 2 days (so grateful they had one) but those first 2 days on the post natal ward surrounded by babies when I hadn't even held mine and didn't know if I'd ever get the chance to was very distressing, for me and probably the other mothers as well (I tried but failed to hide my sobbing).
• with DD2 I had a haemorrhage during a planned c-section and was kept in the recovery ward longer than usual. At 1am they needed the bed so woke me up and moved us to the post natal ward. I was exhausted and wish I could have been left to sleep and moved in the morning.
• with DD2 they told me I couldn't leave until my blood test results were back and I had done a wee. 24 hours after my section I was told they were preparing my discharge papers despite the fact neither of these things had happened. I ended up being kicked out at 7pm 30 hours after my section despite asking if I could stay because I felt so awful. Was told they needed my bed. (In hindsight I was better off at home though due to noise/crowding/smell issues I noted before).

I completely agree with another poster who mentioned being given information about what had happened to you. For DD1, the doctor came to see us 4 hours or so after she was born to try to explain but I was completely out of it due to the spinal and have no idea what he said. For DD2, I know that forceps were used during the section and I had a haemorrhage but I have no idea of why or any details. Finally, I agree with banning Bounty. This is a whole subject in itself but it's shocking and disgusting we have to put up with their hard sell just hours after giving birth.

I almost wish I hadn't started reading this thread as it's brought back some awful memories of my first birth and the aftercare I received, when I was in for a week whilst my baby was treated twice a day in SCBU.

I was, like so many others, treated as an inconvenience. I had SPD and an assisted birth. If I dared to ask for pain relief at any time other than the drugs round (which no one explained to me) I was tutted at. I ended up stashing up pills if I wasn't in too much pain when the rounds were done, so that I could take them later (like the middle of the night) when I was feeling bad, as they would give me two different types of medication at once and it was better to stagger them.

I was told I couldn't leave the ward (this was after several days in there) unless they had agreed that they would take my baby for a short while - and they made it pretty clear they weren't willing to do this, so I couldn't even escape for ten minutes to get some fresh air or have a change of scenery. I wasn't allowed to leave the ward with my baby.

The worst part was that, because my son's problems were identified in the middle of the night, he had to be treated every twelve hours from that time - which happened to be 4am. So, I had to set an alarm for 4am every day and then push my son in his mobile cot thing all the way to SCBU, with my SPD and hardly being able to walk, and no one ever helped me. One midwife did ask SCBU if we could change it to 6am put they refused.

I had my second child at home.

"The lady next to me when I had DS, my 3rd, cried for pain meds continually after her CS, all she got was oral paracetamol."

Same happened to me expat. I was told I couldn't have any proper pain relief after my c-section because a doctor wasn't available to sign a prescription for me. I was fobbed off with paracetamol, too.

I was in agony for hours. It was only when the shift changed that a new midwife took pity on me, and gave me an injection of morphine and told me she would get a doctor to sign it off later.

Why, why, why couldn't a midwife have done this for me hours earlier???

Midwives can prescribe stronger pain relief. Not doing so is just cruel.