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?

When my oldest was born in 1988 I was in a 4 bed room where all the women were in active labour. When you were close to delivery you had to get out of bed, get into a wheelchair, be pushed to the a delivery room and then up on to the bed to give birth. Not every mum made it to a delivery room and some gave birth in the labour room.

I had two babies in what was then the new labour and delivery ward, my fourth was born in a side room with a broken bed - I was taken to the room on the bed I was already on while furniture was shuffled to make space for them to get the bed in. The lighting in the room was broken so after he was born I was moved again to another room with decent lighting so I could be stitched up.

When my youngest was born uncomplicated births took place in side wards attached to the maternity wards. Now our nearest hospital has a midwife led unit but otherwise women have to travel to the consultant unit - an hour's drive away.

It's nothing new. 23 years ago I went in to give birth and I wasn't quite far along enough with dilation and rather than send me home they put me overnight on a ward with pregnant women. I was in dreadful pain with the contractions and I think I freaked out the other women with my moans and groans and occasional screams.

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 is my experience of being in hospital in every situation. I actually walked off the ward and left my baby behind at one point during a long stay because I felt like I was going to flip and throw things or something. The lack of respect for privacy and they complete lack of consideration for the importance of sleep was insane.

When I was in after having one of mine, the woman in the bed next door to me had to recount her full and veru traumatic medial and obstetric history multiple times as a series of hcps came round and we all had to listen to it, over and over again. It's like torture.

You have my full sympathy.

This was my experience over Xmas. I was hospitalised with pre-eclampsia and they merged the induction and antenatal wards before I had my section. Afterwards, I went onto the post natal ward which was also carnage, just of a different kind - think entire families 'visiting' and staying over, ordering take aways in, berating the nurses etc. Longest and worst experience of my life.

Should add I was in for a total of 13 days. Nearly broke me.

It is standard practice in all four of the sites I visit. I think it is awful to have women in for any number of issues during any stage of pregnancy in the same place as women in labour. Totally different needs, physically and emotionally. So backwards!

Midwife here. There will be either no beds or no midwives on labor ward. What can we do? We can’t magic these things up. It’s horrible. We know. There should be 12 midwives on my labour ward, sometimes there are only 6, dealing with very high risk cases often with no break, no food, no time to go to the toilet, leaving past our shift time because there are no staff to hand over to, desperately trying not to make a mistake that could cost someone their life. We get through each shift on a wing and a prayer sometimes. The demand for maternity services massively outstrips our ability to provide the service.

Do you apologise and show compassion or do you get shirty and talk about difficult women? It's the attitude of staff when people are distressed that most people complain to me about, not the situation itself.

The lady in the bed opposite me was in labour while I was in for monitoring overnight.

During Covid my antenatal appointments were in the same building as the very early pregnancy scans/suspected misscariages. We all shared a waiting room. It was so inappropriate but apparently a decision by management.

I was put in a ward like this when I had to be monitored. Between the snoring, new babies and males being loud, there was no peace. I took myself down to the tv room and slept in there 😂

33 years ago I was put on an anti-natal ward after giving birth....my boy was still-born, and there I was, surrounded by parents smiling at their new-borns.

That's horrific. I'm so sorry. I had a miscarriage at 20 weeks and had to go through labour and was given a private room. It's unreal you were put in with other kind and babies.

Yes. I know they are busy but over 3 children, I’ve mainly been treated like shit by midwives and HCAs. I have been nothing but polite and so undemanding, but been spoken to like shit off their shoe in return and even mocked when I was crying when my baby was in NICU “look at her crying, she’s unhinged! She wants us to call for an update, like we have time!”

My 3rd, I just got on with it. I knew no one would help. I heard other women being treated terribly.

It takes noting to show a bit of compassion and kindness, no matter how stressful your job is.

I had a life threatening issue at 29 weeks and the only space they had for me was on a ward where women were being induced

I feel you OP

unfortunately I think they have to put you where there are staff and sometimes it’s safety over comfort

hope you get home soon 💙

I keep getting targeted ads about government-paid midwife courses so it seems like there’s a big shortage of midwives. But I’m surprised (for some reason) that there’s also a lack of space. It sounds really distressing and people must get very upset if a labouring woman has complications.

I also recently found out (in my local hospital at least) there aren’t dedicated wards for end of life patients. It must be terrifying if the person behind the thin curtain next to you departs. It seems very distressing to have everyone together on wards at different stages of labour/illness

This is awful, I’m so sorry. I hope this isn’t the norm

There were many things wrong with my antenatal care, but I must admit I lucked out when it came to beds and rooms.

They fucked up significantly with my antenatal care resulting in an emergency admission, and due to lucky timing got a private room overnight.

Just as they were holding me off going to delivery as long as feasible, my waters broke and I got huge and rapid contractions immediately (first stage of labour lasted sixteen minutes). So got into a nice enough delivery suite.

Then got one overnight in a ward of four women who had had C-sections and me.

I was in a space like this and I was in labour. I was in agony, frightened and it was embarrassing to share the space with three other ladies who were all trying to rest.

@bradpittsbathwater @Shania7788 Thankyou both. TBH it wouldn't have mattered where they put me as the 1 side ward was occupied and no matter were else I was put the sound of babies crying would have been audible anyway. That old unit has been re-vamped now and is apparently much better.

Yes it's awful. My friend has chrons disease and she had to go to a&e and was then admitted. She was put on a lung ward with dying patients after waiting 36 hours for a bed. Then moved to a ward which reeked of shit the entire time. Constant shouting all day and night. Hospitals are hell on earth for patients.

Ok… I don’t want to say there is no problems but I want to voice my opinion if there are any expectant mums terrified by this thread… I’ve had 3 babies in NHS hospitals. 2017, 2019 & 2021. Every, single time I have had my own room to give birth in & I am in a very heavily populated city in the south east. I had access to the pool with 2 of my labours and only not for my third because I turned up to the hospital as I was pushing…

baby #1 - I birthed in a private room and then was moved to a curtained bay and discharged within 24 hours.

baby#2 - I birthed in a private room in a pool and then moved to a private room until I was discharged 24 hours later.

baby#3 - birthday in a private room then moved to a curtained bay and again discharged within 24 hours.

My care was fantastic.

My 3rd there was a lady who'd gone into labour early, and was terribly concerned that she had no clothes for her baby. The midwife told her off for not being organized. Meanwhile, my bed happened to be next the the (open) cupboard full of donated clothes and nappies. In the grand scheme of things, not the biggest deal, but I couldn't believe the complete indifference towards this lady who was very upset. They just did not give a shit. I sent my DH to sainsbury's for a pink babygrow and blanket in the end.

When I had DS2 10 years ago I was admitted to the antenatal ward to be induced for growth restriction. I was given a pessary at 12.00am (six hours after being admitted), started having contractions straight away but was not moved to the Labour ward until 36 hours later as their was no room. So I had to tip toe around my cubicle during the night trying not to disturb anyone despite being in pain. Meanwhile there was a lady who’d had more than 10 miscarriages in the next bed and had been admitted for problems with her current pregnancy and a lady who had just given birth and had her newborn with her (as there was no room on the antenatal ward) opposite me. It was barbaric, my heart broke for the miscarriage lady. I still think of her regularly. I pray that she had a successful pregnancy.

Or maternity care could be funded properly and women’s health treated with respect and equity. My snarkiness isn’t directed at you, just the sloppiness and shabbiness with which we’re treated.

I had terrible experiences with both of my hospital births, as well as a couple of miscarriages, in common with other posters, and this was a key factor in my decision to stop at two children.