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 gave birth in 1987 and 1994. Both were emergency C sections.The first time, because of the length of labour and difficult birth I was given my own room. There was water in plastic jugs,refreshed daily, food brought to you on a tray, help with walking to the bathroom as still on a drip, commode brought to you if you needed it. Help with walking to intensive care baby unit., help with breast feeding, and breat pump using. Someone to help you bathe baby first time, visitors allowed two at a time with little time restrictions. Doctor coming round to give you precise information about the birth and problems encountered. Quiet peaceful atmosphere. I stayed in for about 7 days and felt well cared for and given loads of help especially with breast feeding which was difficult. Six years later I got almost the same level of care but was in a ward which was a little noisier but nevertheless the care was outstanding, Food brought to your bed, water jugs filled, fridge near by to put drinks you may have. This was NHS. I don't know if it has changed since then but I think that new mothers need this amount
of care and support, especially if it is the first child. A positive early start could make a lot of difference to the mental health of the mother and consequently a better bonding relationship with baby.

I was also surprised also to see that baby was allowed in the bed with me during the night as I fed and snoozed. Seemed the most natural thing to do as had a catheter and had epidural so unsteady on my feet. Had a brilliant French Midwife who came to see me even when off duty.

I don't know if it has changed since then

Ineke - I think it's fairly apparent from the previous 19 pages that it has changed since then!

My mum said something similar to Ineke.

I was born in 1993 and she said that when she gave birth to my sister 7 years earlier, she said you were kept in for 5 days to make sure that you and baby were okay, breastfeeding was alright etc.

I don't want to be kept in for 5 days for sure, but the level of care has obviously gone massively downhill and it's not fair.

I've just found out my hospital is still one of the worst in the country for maternity services and I'm very nervous about going back there. They are also receiving further cuts and potentially losing the capacity to take women with consultant led births (mine is consultant led this time). What the hell is going on??

Wtf?! How would that even work, where would the consultant led mums go? (I am one)

I know right

Amy actually nervous despite not wanting to give birth there.

For info the hospital I'm talking about is MK hospital. Apparently due to funding there is talk of 3 hospitals in a similar area (Bedford and Luton as well as MK) will need to lose some of their services, which are already somewhat lacking. They are considering that at least one of them will lose the ability to take on anything other than "straightforward" pregnancies - which is really worrying wording to me because straightforward pregnancy does not necessarily equal straightforward labour so what the hell?

It's worrying for people like me who don't drive as well. I think one article even mentioned services being provided as far as Oxford and Cambridge, but I'm sure they can't mean none of these hospitals can provide consultant care. It's going to be very nerve racking waiting to find out what the timescale is for these changes, and I imagine even if they don't change before I give birth it will probably have an effect on the consultant led care anyway

And I suppose it mean that whichever hospital is left with consultant care will have an influx of women and so even further strain on resources, none of which seem to be able to cope at the moment, let alone with extra catchment areas. Holy shit.

Wow that's really scary on such a big scale :(

I was born in the early 70s and my mum had a planned CS with me (my sister had been born in the 60s and was born by CS because she was breech, it was once a CS, always a CS back then) and she was kept in for 10 days. But yes, lots of care and consideration. Can't imagine that now, eh?!

I had two instrumental deliveries and that was bad enough. First was at ERI in 2003, I see things haven't changed, MrsRobert. Was horrid. After 32 hours of labour and forceps delivery with epidural and accompanying stitches, I gave birth at 4 in the afternoon. Moved to the PN unit around 7. No food offered. I didn't have a catheter but I could feel I needed a wee badly as some feeling returned. Buzzed, buzzed, buzzed. No one came. I ended up crawling along the wall to get to the toilet as couldn't feel my legs too well, hauling myself onto the filthy toilet with my hands and then told off for doing so.

I gave birth to DD2 there as well in 2005 but thankfully no complications, birth at 10am and discharged off the labour suite around 4pm. Bliss!

I had to have DS in the nearest CLU (RAH in Paisley this time) due to high blood pressure. The pressure would not come down so I got an epi. Still didn't come down so I had a bolus of Labetelol. No joy so had another. Wound up with ventouse and 2nd degree tear which needed stitched. Then the placenta didn't come away so two lots of drug to do that.

Can't fault the care in the delivery area even though it was somewhat erm. I gave birth to DS at 4am. We fell asleep after he'd been checked by the paeds and I'd been stitched up. Was woken at 6 for bed bath. Okay. But then told I needed to feed him. I told the midwife I was extremely nauseated. She sat me up. I projectile vomited all over the place. She cleaned me up and then asked again. I sat up and vomited again. She got the hint and left us both to sleep.

I was moved to the PN ward around 9, having missed breakfast (not that I knew how the hell to get food) but by this time, having learned from ERI, I came prepared with my own food, water and pain relief.

Could not get out of there fast enough!

Staying in between a week to two weeks so that women had a chance to rest, establish feeding, look after themselves post birth and learn/ re-remember how to look after a newborn was the norm up until 1980s or so.

Unimaginable by today's 'aim for a 2 hour discharge' mentality.

My mum was induced and had a vaginal delivery. She was kept in for 2 weeks in the 60s.

Yup. I gave birth to my first in 2015 and had a long labour and epidural. I was discharged in less than 24 hours (gave birth at quarter to six, discharged at almost 11). I was actually told I could leave by about 11am! Had managed to do a wee, that was the only criteria. I certainly didn't complain, as I hadn't really been brought any food and was so angry at the midwife who was with me during labour that I just wanted to get out of there. It did still take 12 more hours to actually get someone to discharge me, but had basically been forgotten about once they decided I was fit to go home.

Showers that you can actually take the hose off so you can clean everything properly!

I had one baby in hospital, which was in 1987, and it was up to five days in hospital for a first baby and a week or two after a CS. Home births meant you were entitled to a home help for 10 days (although in practice that didn't usually appear unless you had some sort of social problem) and everyone got a non means tested £25 maternity grant to offset the cost of having a baby. On the downside they still were trying to do pubic shaving and enemas to people, birth was on a bed only, and many hospitals were filthy.

There was also a lack of understanding of religious needs. I know most women are only there 24 hours or so so it may not affect many, but I was extremely distressed at being in hospital two Sundays in a row and therefore missing church. The first I was prepared for (gave birth in a Sunday having been induced on the Friday) but the second Sunday I'd expected to be in church receiving Communion and showing off my newborn, but was instead stuck in SCBU. The hospital chapel was right at the far end of the hospital campus so no way on earth I could have got there, even if there was a nursery to leave DD in, which there wasnt. I asked a couple of midwives about it, but none of them had a clue what to do- they knew about emergency baptism but not bedside communion! Goodness knows what provision was made for the Muslim lady two beds up from me who was having to wear her hijab in bed because of all the male visitors wandering around.

Some basic info in a welcome pack pertaining to the main religions found in the local area would have been helpful.

People keep reminiscing about the days when mothers stayed in routinely for several days or longer after the birth, and got a lot of rest and support.

Apparently my birth was like that BUT in those days it was quiet because babies were in a nursery not beside their Mum's beds all the time. Visitors were strictly limited to certain times of day. There was a compulsory rest time every afternoon when they all had to lie on their beds. And everything stopped for the ward round when medical staff came round. Now the ward round seems to take ages as the medical staff are having to get past all the visitors - I saw some turned away by some Mums on the grounds that they were talking to their visitors and wanted the medical staff to return later on.

My son was seriously ill and was taken to NICU at a hospital 50 miles away. I made dh go with him. I'd had a c-section and was left in a room on my own at the hospital where he was born (emergency c-section after reduced movements - born with apgar of 1, brain damage, etc.). I had no mobile phone, no way of contacting anyone to find out how my son was (or if he was even alive), was not helped to express (which the NICU team told me was vital before they took my son away), was not told that I was allowed a visitor outside of visiting hours (which would have been massively helpful - only mentioned to me by a security guard on the ward when it was too late). I was rarely seen by the midwife, and when I asked if she was able to find out how my son was/if he was alive, I was told 'There are other people I have to look after, you know'. Worst 2 and 1/2 days my life, and I'm crying just thinking about the appalling 'care' I received, over 2 years ago now. Yes I had food, my own bathroom etc (which I am grateful for) but absolutely no consideration of my mental care in light of the trauma I had and was experiencing. I think there should be someone available in a liaison role who comes and visits on the ward (working with PALS?) for those of us feeling alone, powerless and traumatized. (Good news is my son is doing really well now).

After a horrible labour/emergency C-section I finally got to ward at 9pm. Was not offered food/water until next day. Got offered one slice of cold toast and a thimble of OJ. My partner stopped past shop for coffee and food. Lunch was left at communal table (was unable to move off bed due to catheter still being in and bag almost overflowing). By the time a nurse came to help my 'vegetable' soup was stone cold. Once again partner had to go back out during visiting hours to get me food!! Next visiting hours he just took food with him. Food aside. I had to ask for clean dressing on my badly sewn up wound. Ask for a shower, wash, catheter to be removed, clean bed pad, pain killers, formula as couldn't b/f (ironically the breast feeding help lady was great made sure me and my bottle fed toot were OK). On a plus side I was allowed to Jeromy curtain closed when I needed. We learnt by next baby and had water/food etc sorted. But after 2ND baby didn't require C-section so was easier. But discharge fro hospital was delayed due to lack of staff. The Staff were all lovely both stays just not enough. And the food offered was as beige as cardboard. Some fruit/healthy snacks on ward would go a long way.

Reading all these is horrible but has also made me feel better because I wasn't alone. I always wondered if it was normal treatment and I was being over sensitive but none of us were, we were vulnerable and we needed and deserved to be nurtured and made to feel safe none of us deserved these traumatic experiences and I'm so sad and angry for us all

Should probably mention that I had a fantastic experience with my first baby at a midwife led unit. All mood lighting, essential oils and endless toast. It was like being on holiday! Gave birth at 1am went home 12 noon following day - completely clueless but very happy!

On the whole the care I got was very good.

The only minor complaints I have are:
-The spray intensity on the shower head made it feel like you were rubbing yourself with a hedgehog
-They kept having OBS and doctor visits at meal times which ment you sometimes missed them
-One doctor woke me up late at night to tell me that my DD no longer needed the light pad on (for jaundice) and that they would remove it from her clothing in the morning. I still haven't quite forgiven her for that as I had very little sleep and she could have told me in the morning or turned it off and left a note.

The maternity ward staff saved my life when I had ds2 in 2014. I was in a private room on the ward, as was having a planned section and didn't mind paying the £150 for a private room. After the birth I had a severe headache, high temp, nausea and vomiting. All down to the drugs, we thought, as I was like that after ds1's emcs.

Only, I'd actually contracted a rare form of bacterial meningitis and was slipping into a coma when one of the nurses checked on me the next morning. Rushed to ICU where I spent a few days on life support. Luckily we were both fine in the end, but I know it's only down to the swift action of the midwives and other staff on the ward that day.

Getting whipped off to ICU was a bit of an extreme way to avoid the crappy post-natal ward eh?!

It was a really interesting point made upthread about the type of available food being completely at odds with the needs of post-birth mums. Fibre is so necessary. The first poo is terrifying enough when you've had stitches, without adding constipation into the mix.

In my hospital bag list (which I've started writing already due to reading this thread) I have specifically put "high fibre foods" and a note to get DH to bring in veggie sticks each day

I'm expecting DC2 and am going to give birth in a different hospital to when I had DD. They've got signs up everywhere telling pregnant women that they will need to provide their own paracetamol and ibuprofen for after giving birth. It doesn't fill me with confidence... last time, I was given paracetamol, ibuprofen and offered stronger stuff too.

Two very different labours but postnatal wards were fantastic, private room first time round (which helped I think) and birthing suite second time. Birthing suite was a joy - great midwives and HCAs, DH was allowed to stay overnight with me. A HCA took DS on a stroll round the ward so I could have a bath, and I got out to a brew and a biscuit - their kindness wil stay with me forever. Well done Royal Bolton is all I can say.