Postnatal Ward Hell

[MoneyM]

AIBU in suggesting that postnatal wards are literally hell on earth? Baby born today - stuck in a room with snorers, loud texters, newborn babies being left to cry it out...not to mention the incessant succession of beeps and buzzers. And the intense heat!!

Likewise. I shudder when I remember my three stays in a postnatal ward, I felt so vulnerable. I almost ran out of the place, even with an episiotomy!

Hope you get home soon. And congratulations 🎉

Op- if you have to stay in tonight can you pay for a private room? X

Dh insisted I stay on the ward overnight and he drive home because it was late, really windy and he 'couldn't take a second night on those chairs'.
I feel relieved that I said to him 'no thanks darling, let's go home together'. Or at least words to that effect but somewhat more forceful and certainly less polite! I've not done postnatal ward but antenatal ward was bad enough!

Yes postnatal ward was absolute hell. We had a very angry father in our bit who would argue with all staff at the top of his voice 24 hours a day. We were desperate to get discharged but staff wanted to get rid of him first which was a huge ordeal. Eventually discharged at 5am exhausted from a night of cluster feeding. I've never been so glad to get home.

Also don't get me started on f**king bounty doing the rounds.

Yes they are hell on earth, I hope you manage to escape today!

I was on one after a traumatic birth which ended up in theatre and baby being admitted to neonatal. So I spent 3 days on the post natal ward without my baby!

Nothing worse than all the noise mentioned above and cooing visitors whilst my baby was a very painful walk (waddle!) away whilst clutching my catheter bag! By day 3 I was a mess and sobbed on a midwife who moved me and my baby to a side room so we could properly bond. He’s 2 now but it still brings tears to my eyes remembering those early days.

I hope you get to go home today OP!

Yep. I had an amazing delivery followed by horrendous post natal experience. I couldn’t wait to go home.

The babies are probably not being left to cry it out. My first baby cried constantly in hospital and I pretty much held him the whole time, was trying my best to BF him and I kept having to buzz the midwives in because I just didn’t know how to settle him.

The worst thing was, I was there trying my best with an unsettled baby whilst a Mum across the room kept leaving her super quiet baby so she could go outside to smoke . Made me feel even more terrible! I couldn’t wait to leave, it was literal Hell.

Yanbu.Ive recently had an operation privately and I wish I could have afforded to have ds private 6 yrs ago.The food is great,there was an extensive menu! and the care so much better.

This is why I have home births. During labour I don't really care where I am, but being in your own home after is just perfect. Cup of tea and own bed!

I have fond memories of baby 1. Five days in a nice spacious ward, plenty of staff, the food was ok and we had lots of help.

Baby 4 - hot as hell, not enough room, no help, poor food, too many men there at night, constant visitors, hideous bright lights and tv. Never have I been so glad to go home. So much for progress and shiny new hospitals.

I wonder what post natal wards would be like if men had babies?

YANBU OP, the postnatal ward is hell on Earth. Congratulations on your baby, hope you get home soon.

They are hell! I planned a home birth with my 2nd but unfortunately ended up needing an emergency c-section I was the only one on the ward who's partner wasn't staying with them and my baby was seriously unsettled on the 3rd night and I felt so judged by everyone.

Thank God I had my children 40 years ago. Quiet. (Apart from babies). Enforced nap time in afternoons. Only fathers allowed to visit except on weekends and then strict times. Sufficient number of midwives to look after mum and baby. And no phones!! I did actually get a rest.

I have each of mine in different european countries and in both cases the post natal (and prenatal) experience was excellent. The UK is chronically underfunded and have some of the worst stats for childbirth in Europe. Midwives are overworked and overstressed and the situation is often unsafe.

@AlltheWhoresofMalta
I had the same - it was June and in the 20s overnight, so sweltering. I dared to open the window behind my bed and the midwife told me off. It was so airless I could barely breathe, and both me and baby were sweating. Funnily enough said baby is now 20 and always hot she rarely wears a jumper and is quite happy in short sleeves when everybody else is under layers.

My DC1 had scarlet fever a day before DC2 decided to enter the world! Not ideal at the time but what it did mean was that they couldn't transfer us to the ward incase me and DH had picked it up and were infectious. We got to stay in our lovely birthing suite all day, tea and toast brought to hand!!

Maybe mention you've recently been on a holiday to Wuhan, you may be left in peace

These experiences sound hellish! My eldest is 30 and my post natal care was excellent. No mobile phones then and crying babies were taken off to the baby room - new mums needed to rest! With my second I was in and out of hospital in 12 hours, back home to my own bed.

Totally sympathise. I was stuck in there for 8 nights after an emergency c section and baby in neonatal and it was utter hell on earth!! Men, mothers and friends snoring like demented warthogs, husbands/partners arriving with smelly fish and chips at nearly midnight and then chatting as though it's the middle of the afternoon, I could go on, the list of issues is insane but I totally agree, they are not conducive to getting some rest!
Congrats on your baby and hope you get to go home soon!

Congratulations on your new baby.

Just been thinking about those wards. They aren't the best lol

I didn't find the postnatal ward that bad...partners were sent home and visitors limited which helped and I think it was also better staffed than a lot of places. Maybe I was also just a bit out of it so didn't really notice other people!

If any of you get time/have the energy to write in and complain about your PN Ward experience, it might help change things.

I am a midwife, and I have worked on a busy overcrowded noisy ward and it is awful. You can’t give anyone the care they need, you are pulled from pillar to post and you never go home feeling like you have made a positive contribution. It is not how anyone plans to practice Midwifery.

I now work in a small rural unit - partners only visiting policy, no Bounty, infant feeding room with comfy armchair sand better staffing levels (not in the UK). It is lovely- we do have some super busy shifts, but mainly we are able to spend time with women, help them with feeding, winding, settling their babies. It is a real treat to be able to ease the transition and offer a bit of TLC until people get back to their own homes.

I am sorry that any new Mum and baby has to tolerate poor care.

I am 32 weeks pregnant with my 4th and I am dreading this. I have a blood clotting condition so cannot have a home birth unfortunately.

My question is, if I have a straight forward birth and me and baby are ok after can I just discharge myself ? Surely they can't force me to stay for longer then I would want to.
I am going to speak to my midwife and make it clear I will be doing this if I need too.

For context I suffer from awful anxiety around hospital / doctors and am already getting myself worked up about having to stay in.

Congratulations on your baby.
I had no problems with my post natal ward, I had a pleasant experience but appreciate I’m on of the lucky ones!
Hope you get to go home soon!