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Original poster

Phone conversations on maternity wards

206 replies

user1494667160 · 16/12/2017 07:13

It is 7am and the woman in the next hospital bay has been on the phone for the last half hour.
She is doing my head in.
It is a maternity ward so only gave birth yesterday. Absolutely shattered from babies waking up all night (completely reasonable as that is what being on a maternity ward is all about).
But being on your phone and having lengthy conversations at 7am is taking the mick.
I finally drifted off at 6am and woke up to her chatting away loudly.
She is speaking another language as well which means what she is saying to me sounds just like an extra noise!
Raaaaa

OP posts:
MoistCantaloupe · 16/12/2017 08:16

Lolita - she said it sounds like and extra noise, not that it is louder. As she can’t understand what’s being said, it doesn’t sound like a conversation, it sounds like just another noise.

twinone · 16/12/2017 08:17

Woman next to me, her TV station phone went off at 3am. No subtle buzzing like a mobile, a full on loud bloody ring. She didn't stir. I was on my way up to answer It, then it stopped, enraging me further as I'd struggled out of bed.
On top of that, 3 times in the night she fed her ds. Not content to leave the glass bottle on her table, she trotted over to the bin and dropped them in.
I was ready to throttle her by the next morning. Absolutely bloody selfish behaviour.

LolitaLempicka · 16/12/2017 08:18

She also said it was less bearable, i agree that has nothing to do with volume I just don't understand how it is worse.

MoistCantaloupe · 16/12/2017 08:20

Lolita - yes sorry, I wrote that before the second update!

It makes sense to me that a different language can be worse at it sounds like just ‘noise’. Perhaps it’s just a difference of opinion.

Ketzele · 16/12/2017 08:20

Actually, I think OP is right about the language thing. I'm sure I've read some research about this (don't fgs ask me for a citation!) - something about language you don't understand kind of jarring more/sounding louder because you can't file it away in your brain so easily. That is the technical explanation, obviously.

venys · 16/12/2017 08:24

Yeah had a similar situation with a medical tourist with my second child. She had no clue about how to look after baby so would come into my cubicle in the middle of the night to chat. Night 3 was about to call a taxi when midwives had my baby to sleep on their shoulders and I "tried" to sleep in bf room. I don't know why they still make wards like they do when the results are so disastrous. Nobody gets better. I had third child at home because I hated the hospital experience so much.

LolitaLempicka · 16/12/2017 08:25

Oh Ketzele once read something so it must be true. Is that how you got your PhD?

Blahblahblahzeeblah · 16/12/2017 08:25

Oh for goodness sake, stop making a thing about OP's comments on the foreign language. A conversation in English can be understood a foreign conversation can't so is just more infuriating noise. She's not being racist or whatever else it is you're getting your knickers in a twist about.

OP you have my sympathies. So many people behave appallingly on shared wards. Hope you're out soon!

TitsalinaBumSqoosh · 16/12/2017 08:26

This is the same on all wards! Not just maternity!
I'm regularly an a paediatric ward with one of my children and other parents act like arseholes all the time.
When ever I've been on a mixed ward for my own health or visiting a relative, people act like arseholes... my conclusion is that people are arseholes, one thing someone thinks is ok isn't to others.

frogmellah · 16/12/2017 08:26

I understand the "extra noise" thing.

Most maternity wards are hellish tbh, when I was being induced and bouncing on a ball having contractions on the antenatal ward, the woman in the cubicle next to me who was being monitored had all her family to visit and they were eating smelly takeaway VERY loudly. It was hellish. I'm sure they didn't mean to be so annoying, unfortunately that's just what happens when you're in close proximity with strangers!

hope you get discharged soon.

mrspatel77 · 16/12/2017 08:27

There is always one isn't there!!! @LolitaLempicka you just came for an argument and you really don't have one!! She wasn't being offensive but loud talking when you don't understand what is being said is a noise!!! Don't be such a tool love! Find something to do xxx

Thedietstartsnow · 16/12/2017 08:27

If she's speeking in a different language she's probably ringing home on a different time zone...

LolitaLempicka · 16/12/2017 08:28

medical tourist
How is that relevent to your story? You could just replace those words with another patient -even if you are a daily mail reader-

frogmellah · 16/12/2017 08:28

Well if someone's speaking a language you understand at least you can earwig, if they're not it IS just noise.

Rebeccaslicker · 16/12/2017 08:28

Lucky you weren't on my ward in central London, OP! Nobody spoke the same language as anyone else; it was all just a massive cacophony of really annoying noise.

It doesn't bother me one bit whether it's English or a language from Mars - it's all about the volume. Which it seems most people are unable to control Angry

DownstairsMixUp · 16/12/2017 08:29

Lolita maybe you could calm down a bit? Everyone interprets things differently. Any noise winds me up while I try to sleep, I cannot even stand people eating loudly. Just stop picking at a tiny detail.

Agree op it was completely unreasonable, post natal wards are things of hell.

LolitaLempicka · 16/12/2017 08:30

MrsPatel you have really really offended me, how dare you call me love.

honeysucklejasmine · 16/12/2017 08:30

I broke down in tears on the post natal ward because it was just so noisy. I was exhausted, baby wouldn't settle without being held (fine, but hard work), I was in pain, confused why I was there and it was 2am and two separate people were on the phone, on fucking speakerphone no less. I'd been struggling with panic attacks during the third trimester and it tipped me over the edge. The midwives were very kind but couldn't do much about it. They made an effort to discharge me quickly the next day.

Mrscaindingle · 16/12/2017 08:32

Hopefully you get home today, or soon, op I'm now remembering my time on a post natal ward in central London with a shudder. It was one of those long Nightingale wards with barely a few inches between the beds. It was full and the staff were run ragged, I still sometimes wonder how the baby, whose mum was in the bed next to me and spent all night hissing at her baby to "shut up" turned out Sad

Mylady · 16/12/2017 08:32

Somone is not racist because they find a loud conversation in a language they cannot understand louder or more irratating than one they can. Its virtue signaling and a bit stupid to keep implying that it is.

brummiesue · 16/12/2017 08:32

Lolita you are just being annoying now....
Maternity wards are horiffic, I was in 48hrs post c section and would have quite happily murdered several women/relatives if I had been able to get out of bed. My neighbour insisted on having the light on full beam aimed at my bed most of the night as well Angry I moaned, it got turned off

mrspatel77 · 16/12/2017 08:37

@LolitaLempicka GrinGrinyou have made my morning so much more interesting! Thanks love!

Rebeccaslicker · 16/12/2017 08:37

Lolita Nitpicka more like! Completely agree it sounds like virtue signalling.

Lovemusic33 · 16/12/2017 08:38

I agree with OP, listening to someone talking loudly down the phone in another language would annoy me more too, at least if it was English you might understand why she has to make a call. Is she bed ridden? If not then she could have gone to the family room to make the call?

Allthecoolkids · 16/12/2017 08:38

I don’t get why midwives can’t enforce some basic rules.

Quiet at night and early morning. No great gangs of visitors bearing takeaway, use the day room if there is one or save the great party till you’re home.

They’re all pretty good at finding their voices when it comes to turning women in early labour away or denying them epidurals etc.