Postnatal Ward Hell!

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AIBU to ask if the postnatal word is actually the 7th circle of hell?

On a ward with 4 others. One has been scrolling through songs on their phone for the last two hours only listening to the first 5 seconds of each one. One couple have bought a tv pass and have the One Show on full volume, they are then making video calls over the top of the TV and rowing about why their newborn won't settle (because the poor thing is thinking wtf is all this shouting?). The poor midwives are so understaffed everything is running late, including everyone's painkillers which were due an hour and a half ago. I've had a c section and I'm absolutely boiling and for some reason the heating is on!

Maybe I'm just a grumpy old woman but I'm starting to lose my mind here! Why can't people just be quiet!

Gah. That sounds awful. How long until you go home?

Been there so sending hugs. Head phones?

So far, so standard OP! Hope you're out of there ASAP, congratulations on your new baby!

Congratulations OP!

It was utter hell with my first, with my second covid restrictions were in and the ward was so lovely and quiet!

Have you got any headphones?

They definitely are, with my 2nd I ended up getting moved off ward into a solo room. No reason pertaining to me, and it was bliss apart from being ultimately forgotten about 🤣. With my first it was so hot, and someone kept turning the air con unit off, and late night calls, snoring, loud music it was horrendous, but they are some kind of awful.

Must say I am surprised at you being on the main ward the after a c-section. When did you have it? I had c-sections both times, and was in a little side ward for 4-5 days after.

The first ones on tik tok.

Hell is other people for sure.

I had one this week and was out 24 hours later- the sound of other people and their nonsemse/whining/graphic descriptions of their bowl movements was certainly a good motivator to get moving and go home!!

Midwife here and yeah, PN wards are the utter pits. Hope you will be out ASAP.

@PurpleButterflyWings im assuming you’re not in the UK? A reasonably straight forward CS will have you home in 24-36hrs in the UK. At my trust after CS, go to recovery for 30mins then normal PN ward until home

If you had been on my ward, I would have kissed you. 😘

Yes I am in the UK. Obviously all hospital are different.

*hospitals.

Oh Lord OP I feel your pain. This was me last month. Hugs to you. Make sure to buzz the nurses for help with changing and feeding (don’t injure yourself like I did). Are you in a London hosp?

Must say I am surprised at you being on the main ward the after a c-section. When did you have it? I had c-sections both times, and was in a little side ward for 4-5 days after

i was on a main ward both times after my section. Depends on your hospital and whether they have room.

Post natal wards are always boiling hot. Then they get upset when you aren’t wrapping up the baby in hats and coats and are practically hanging out the window for fresh air.

i quite enjoyed the jeremy kyle live shows. Proper “don’t come to my yard” rows, one woman had had a fight with the baby’s father so didn’t tell him when she went into labour, one dad left because “why do i need to know about perineums, i don’t have one”.

noise cancelling headphones op.

You have my sympathies. I spent two nights on the verge of heatstroke repeatedly opening a window every time the bloody midwife shut it (hardly ever saw one apart from this, certainly not when I needed pain meds) and praying for the discharge of the other extremely noisy women in the bay and the slow death of the midwives giggling and chatting all night at the nurses station down the corridor. DC to this day hates being hot and can’t stand people or loud noises, which makes you wonder about early imprinting! Hope it improves for you soon

As a midwife, when you see people on the wards being inconsiderate and stopping others from resting, do you say something? Would you ask them to watch Tik Tok only with headphones after, say, 10pm?

I’m never quite sure why antisocial behaviour that isn’t conducive to recovery is allowed in NHS hospitals.

Make sure to buzz the nurses for help with changing and feeding

does that ever work? Buzzers were entirely ignored on my ward. Mind they were going off every 2 seconds and even I was wishing people would give the m/w a rest!

Quite common for it to be a quick turnaround. I can't say I know anyone who has been in for 3-4 days post section (even my best friend who was blue lighted with complications following failed homebirth)

I was in longer than the women next to me (normal postnatal ward). She came up a few hours after me and left a few hours before me. I'd had a SVD but there was meconium in my waters so I had to do 24h for monitoring but given baby was born at 1am it was more like 36h.

Woman next to me had had a c-section in case that wasn't clear 😂

I feel your pain, it was rubbish! As soon as you settle your baby someone else's starts crying! So unrelaxing. And mine was stifling hot too...I'd never been so hot and it was mid December! 🙄😂
Another vote for headphones, and try to listen to something relaxing if you can. Hope you are home soon

Yep, they're awful. They somehow seem to only attract people who constantly talk on the phone on loudspeaker, have the TV on full blast or argue with their partners.

Me and DH still laugh about this woman who was on the postnatal ward when I had DD. Bless her, she was probably excited about her baby but all we heard was "This is my baby Wren. Have you met Wren? Look at my new baby Wren! Wren Wren Wren". I can't hear the name without laughing.

I’m not sure if it works as I didn’t buzz, but should have given what happened to me after.

8 hours after my EMCS I was wheeling baby in her crib, my catheter bag hanging off me, obviously struggling to walk, past the nurses station to get changing supplies. 4 of them sat there chatting and not one offer of help made.

Oh and the people on constant loudspeaker, what joy.

Good old NHS!