To not travel around on busses 5 days post section with baby?

[TrappedWindArse]

I had a section Tuesday morning and have not long arrived home with baby (see previous post about being stuck on the postnatal ward after a hemmorage, no sleep, annoying visitors - yay)

Midwife came round yesterday to check in with us and said I have to take baby into the nearest clinic tomorrow (Sunday) for my day 5 post birth check, to weigh baby and remove my dressing.

The problem is it's 3.5 miles away and I don't drive. I'm exhausted, anaemic and still not able to walk very far. I'd need to use public transport and to be completely honest I'm just not up to going anywhere yet let alone miles away with baby in a sling.

I remember these checks being done at home with my other children but apparently that has changed. Possibly because it falls on a Sunday? I don't know.

Anyway, WIBU to say I'm sorry i just can't do that and ask for somebody to come to us instead? I know the midwives are very over stretched at the minute but I genuinely feel it will hinder my already slow recovery.

Will that go against me somehow and make me look negligent for not complying?

I'm a bit stressed.

Wtaf???? That is ridiculous to request. I could barely have a shower after my c section and haemorrhage I was so exhausted.

By the way it isn't too late to get back to breastfeeding if you want to. I'd really recommend posting on breastfeeding yummy mummies (terrible name but great group) if you want help, and would like support to continue :-)

Give their answer back - can't travel on bus because of covid

@Babyshadows

By the way it isn't too late to get back to breastfeeding if you want to. I'd really recommend posting on breastfeeding yummy mummies (terrible name but great group) if you want help, and would like support to continue :-)

Thank you I will look it up

V good points raised about covid too..

Surely it's not advisable to take a vulnerable baby on public transport where it can be avoided. Cases are so high here now.

God no, YANBU. I've had two sections, most recent one being two weeks ago. At day five I could barely get in a car never mind a bus. Just no.

I have had my day 5/10 check by midwife at home, seen my health visitor at home and infant feeding team at home. Surely they can come out to you?

No problem, it's on Facebook, meant to mention, there's alot of support for latching and transition back to bf or combifeeding, whatever you want really. It's a great community

It’s utterly mad that you can’t go to your gp for this. I get they aren’t generally open on a Sunday but Monday would be ok.

They wouldn’t ask a man to do this after major abdominal surgery!

@BungleandGeorge no it’s seriously understaffed. I work in a unit that has an open recruitment policy at the moment because they’re so short and they can’t fill the vacancies.

Units that have traditionally always been well staffed are for the first time running chronically short.
Brexit has hit midwifery very hard combined with COVID. This isn’t a temporary blip, there is no possibility that the vacancies nationally will be filled. The midwives simply don’t exist.
Midwifery courses may be popular but drop out is high, a lot of newly qualified midwives never work and retention in the profession is very poor. Also there’s a glut of midwives hitting retirement age. Midwifery is a profession in serious crisis.

Not unreasonable at all. My second was born during lockdown and all our appointments at home were cancelled too. I ended up having to walk a 4 mile round trip 2 days after giving birth as I didn’t drive. I wish I’d put my foot down as it definitely didn’t do me any good.

@TatianaBis

I just don’t understand people who don’t learn to drive.

In this situation I would either just not go or make an appointment at your local GP surgery.

It’s irrelevant to this situation that OP can’t drive. She could be a professional chaffeuse and she would still be unable to drive herself to this clinic, five days post surgery.

Day 5 after my CS I was still in quite a bit of pain and most of the day/night was spent still trying to get the hang of BF. I think my DH took me to one of the appointments (15 minutes down the road in the car) in the early days but mostly they came to my house which was great, I didn’t even ask for appointments at home. Op in your position I’d be asking them to come to your house.

Yes you have to crack on with things but really they should send someone out to you.

It’s irrelevant to this situation that OP can’t drive. She could be a professional chaffeuse and she would still be unable to drive herself to this clinic, five days post surgery.

It’s relevant that her partner can’t drive. Which is why I said ‘people’.

They wouldn't expect a bloke to do all this after major surgery

They definitely wouldn’t be visiting anyone at home post any other kind of surgery so not sure of the relevance of this comment.

OP I would refuse.

They actually would expect a bloke to travel after major surgery.
I have attended the hospital for treatment after major surgery. But they assume people can get a lift. If you cant I have found they make other arrangements.
But most people would have a partner or family member who could give them a lift.

I’d ask the midwives for a home visit. If you’re the only one on their caseload in this predicament they may be able to do it on their way in or way home so not using too much time.

Hi op don’t go - yes you aren’t meant to life anything. I overdid it after having a C section and it took longer to recover.
They will need to come to you.
They can do all those things at your house.

@Yogagrandmum you're right that is irrelevant.

OP I would call them today and say you've tried to arrange a lift but you can't and don't want
To get some a bus 5 days after major surgery and ask what your options are x

You can’t drive after a section anyway so no yanbu op. That’s a ridiculous ask tbh.

Yanbu. I had all checks at home last year but only because I could barely walk. We were still under midwife care at day 20 and they expected me to take 20 day old twins on the bus to be weighed. This was during national lockdown. Nope. I asked, explained I couldn’t walk that far/ manoeuvring the (heavy) pram was impossible and they came to our house.

Midwife has just called me and said she's going to come out to me tomorrow as she knows it's very difficult for me to get about so soon, hooray! I could hug her.

She has 8 other ladies to see before me so can't guarantee what time it'll be, but it's a definite. I wonder if she's on MN and has seen this post?

@TatianaBis

I just don’t understand people who don’t learn to drive.

In this situation I would either just not go or make an appointment at your local GP surgery.

I don't understand why some people don't understand that not everyone makes the same choices as they do.

If it’s only because the 5 days falls on a Sunday, they should be able to just do it on a Monday. My 5 day check fell on a Sunday, and the midwife was fine to visit me to do it on day 6, the Monday. She said if I absolutely wanted it on day 5 I would have to go to the hospital

I assume those saying book in at GP surgery, live somewhere where this is actually achievable - if OP could even get her call answered around here, she would be told it was not the appropriate service.

5 days after a C section they shouldn't be asking you to do this. You are entitled to a home visit in these circumstances. They probably assumed you had someone to give you a lift.