To think it’s inappropriate for labouring women to be in a bay with antenatal women and postnatal women?

[LadyofLaundry88]

Interested to hear from any midwives/HCPs re whether this is common practice/normal?

I have been admitted for weeks pre due date for various reasons that I’d need emergency surgery pronto if I go into labour. So I’m on a bay which currently has x2 labouring (very distressed screamy) women, one like this overnight, x1 new mother & baby & male partner (allowed to stay overnight), and x2 unwell pregnant women. Lights on and off all night, HCPs banging in and out talking really loudly to patients etc. I am going to lose my mind.

AIBU to think this is pretty barbaric? I’m quite shocked that this is ok?

My god, that sounds dreadful. I'm 4.5 months pregnant and I really hope that is not normal!

I was put on a ward like this when I had just had my first born as there was no space in the correct ward, it was awful and I discharged myself same day, it's not nice for anyone!

I was in this position for several weeks while pregnant and it was dreadful. You have my sympathy @LadyofLaundry88 though with hindsight obviously it was worthwhile. Trying to sleep at night listening to women in labour, while wondering if my baby and I would make it, felt very cruel. I was exhausted from lack of sleep by the time he was born.

I had this 23 years ago and I spent 3 weeks listening to labouring women, I was absolutely terrified and did lose my mind, it was awful.

I was put on a ward like that after having my first. He was whisked off to NICU at birth, I couldn’t walk after a section and the midwives were “too busy” to call down and tell me what was happening to him or if he was still alive or to wheel me down for 12 hours. It was the most traumatic experience of my life.

they wouldn’t let anyone close their curtains either and a couple of women kept loudly wondering to their visitors where my baby was and if it had died.

It’s not ideal but sadly this is the state of the NHS, there just isn’t enough funding for the beds & staffing needed.

Almost a decade ago I was put in a bay with 3x new mothers & their babies whilst I was pregnant with my first who we were unsure would survive birth, sadly this is nothing new. (Thankfully baby was born safely & survived albeit they were premature and very poorly for quite sometime.)

Have you got ear plugs and ear buds to listen to music? Might help a bit.

No this is not the norm. Unfortunately this thread will fill up with similar stories so I'd probably swerve this thread if it's going to upset you.

Lights on and off all night, HCPs banging in and out talking really loudly to patients etc. I am going to lose my mind.

This was my experience last year after my planned C section. Incredibly frustrating and shitty. Fortunately DS slept through it all, but I’d advise anyone having a baby to take an eye mask (and ear plugs if they have a partner who can take over holding the baby if they cry). And an ear mask and ear plugs for their partner.

Silly question but could you not be at home and then go in for surgery as and when you go into labour? Seems mad to keep you there just in case.

Facilities and staffing levels mean that it’s often not practical to group patients exactly as they’d like to be grouped for hospital care. If the same staff are caring for all of you, it’s neither appropriate nor safe for them to need to leave patients alone or at low staffing levels in one ward whilst they care for patients in another.

When my labour stopped with my now 19 year old I was put into an overflow ward. I ended up giving
birth their as the labour ward was too busy - I did feel for the antenatal woman having to listen to it as there was just a curtain between me and them.

It’s not ideal but it will be the hospital’s bed pressures which sadly is a national issue. The hospital site team where I work try very hard to admit patients to the most appropriate bed but there is rarely a surplus of them - as a patient leaves another is waiting for their bed. It would be so lovely to always have a choice and capacity to put same categories of patients in the same bays.

Sorry you're experiencing this! My waters broke at 30 weeks and I was put on a ward like this for three days while they waited to see if Labour would start (it didn't!). Turned out when I asked, I had been put in an induction bay because there was no room for me anywhere else. Awful care and one of the things that puts me off having a hospital birth next time! I couldn't cope with being on wards with male partners at night etc!

It's definitely not ideal, but there are just not the beds & staff to do otherwise
Earplugs and keep checking if there is other space

I was put on a maternity ward after having to have a D&C for a missed miscarriage, because there was no other space. That was shit

Similar happened to me OP, I was put in a 4 bed bay with 3 ladies in labour when I was being monitored for pre term labour / potential loss of baby. It's brutal. The consultant kicked up a fuss and got me moved to a single room because I was so scared I wanted to self discharge from the chaos of that bay. Fortunately DD arrived safely earthside at 38wks medically required CS.

similar almost happened to me -no labour rooms available due to overcrowding - luckily got one for the pushing stage then was sent back to antenatal ward with my baby - dh was told he had to go home as not visiting hours and I was stuck with no security and told not to leave baby or sleep for even a second in case someone stole her. Had to call a nurse when I needed a wee and was made to feel a bit of a nuisance

bloody awful

I had the same @Ouchmyarse. It was horrific. I know on paper I was post natal and therefore it was appropriate, but being on a ward where everyone had their baby and I wasn't allowed to touch mine was hell. And then the midwives would get annoyed that I was calling for help with the wheelchair because I wasn't allowed to walk to the NICU ward once I was considered well enough to move from the bed.

One of the nicer ones was shocked when I asked to be discharged as soon as possible. Seriously, why the fuck would I have wanted to stay.

(DS2 is home and well after a 3 month NICU stay, but I'll never think it was right to be put on that ward).

We’re all in the same bay. The ward has x6 empty labouring rooms, ann empty side room and an empty bay the other end of the ward! I just checked..

I’m sorry you went though that too. I’m so glad your ds is home and well. Mine is now a massive, 21 year old police man 😆

In my experience (a while ago) you had pre and post natal wards.
Pre was a free for all and had sick women, women for monitoring, including day cases, and women being induced or going into labour while on the ward.
Once in labour they tried to move you to delivery but not always straight away.
Post natal was a different ward for mums and babies.

In all cases, and when we were on children ward, noise and interruptions through the night, partners staying (except mine?) Lights etc were constant presence.

I’m so so saddened by these replies! Maternity services sound like they’ve been pretty brutal for a long time ☹️

I truly hope things will improve. I know staff are trying their best, but I wonder how quickly shitty things become normalised for women pre or post birth.

I was left to Labour on an antenatal ward for two days, following an induction.

All that separated me while in active Labour was a paper curtain. Only a couple of square meters to move next to the bed. One shared toilet to use, after my waters had broken.

Random family members and peoples husbands watching TikTok on their phones all night.

Horrendous experience being in Labour in such an environment - absolutely laughable when the NCT talks endlessly about needing to be in a safe environment.

I had to beg and beg to be moved to a private room. Utterly degrading experience.