Not allowed private room

[Spamfritterss]

for my birth I made it clear I wanted to pay for a private room. When giving birth 3 weeks ago I had a bit of a traumatic birth and was told I couldn’t have a private room with bed for my husband due to needing an extra eye kept on me. I was put on a noisy ward where I was placed at the end by the window the row of beds next to me all had their curtains partially closed so you couldn’t see me unless you walked down. I didn’t have someone keep an eye on me I had checks but no more than any one else. My husband and I had been awake for way over 15 hours so I sent him home as one of us had to get some sleep. The ward was full of people and partners chatting all night as well as crying babies. All I wanted was to be alone with my husband. I had no clue what I was doing couldn’t move properly and spent the whole night crying over what had just happened to me. 2 of my mum friends have just given birth and where able to have a private room. I just feel really resentful. I get they thought it was medically necessary but no one could see me and I didn’t get any extra checks

Hmm I think I'd be discharging myself rather than stay on a ward.

It's not up to the MWs to bully new mothers because they can't be bothered to check on those in rooms

Surely it's the patients choice whether or not to accept the " risk"

Honestly all beds in maternity wards need to be private rooms. The way it is at the moment is diabolical- French friends (both drs as it happened) laughed when I told them.

Maybe it couldn’t happen instantly but certainly needs to be phased in for all new builds/ re furbs, and then for existing hospitals over time.

Maybe focus on your new baby and not where you slept postnatally.

Yes but then they would need double the staff! And the way maternity services are so chronically short staffed at the moment it either won’t happen… or will and be very unsafe.

Numerous recent reports suggest that maternity services in the UK are already very unsafe.

Ok, so let’s make everything a private room and make the problem worse?

all I mean is reform other stuff first before just turning everything into a private room and making it worse

I’ve got no problem with putting ALOT more funding into the NHS, including funding dedicated to maternity services if possible.

Double the staff sounds like the minimum they need with or without private rooms - those Mums should be getting a least some guaranteed rest after giving birth.

(PS I’ve had my children and I won’t be having more, so I won’t benefit from this!)

If you had a woman staying in your house after just giving birth, would you keep her awake all night with loads of noise and lights and then tell her to shut up and be grateful or would that be an unconscionably awful to do to someone?

If it's wrong at your house, it's wrong in the hospital.

So you expect hospitals to have the funding to have separate rooms for all mothers…..

Get a grip on reality!

Are you deliberately misunderstanding just so you can make a snotty comment? OP clearly says she was going to pay for it.

No, unfortunately I expect hospitals to treat mothers like shit.

It's not something we should be defending.

Actually I think a lot of mothers have benefited by being with other mothers in a ward.

But you carry on saying they’re treated like shit and expecting an unrealistic expectation.

I agree with those saying it should be standard to have a private room. I can't stand wards, and jumped at the chance when I heard private rooms were only around £200 - unfortunately our hospital didn't offer that service and I was on the postnatal ward. Luckily only stayed one night with one child, and was discharged before night time with the second.

Some may have, but others, like myself, couldn't wait to get out. The one overnight I had, 2 of the others were shouting and chatting all night - literally. I couldn't rest at all because of the absolute racket coming from the other mothers.

Bollocks have they.

Excellent argument!

I suspect you’re one of those “I don’t like being spoken too, they looked at my baby type” It’s my “anxiety”!

Get a grip!

i don’t think free private rooms exist unless you know someone who works there. It doesn’t matter how much you pay - if there’s no room available there isn’t one. I got a private room for free because my best friends mum was the head midwife (or whatever they’re called) and only because it was free. They only had three private rooms, it’s not a hotel.

Exactly!

but apparently that’s treating mothers like shit!

And you thought a personal attack was a fabulous way to make your point?

You show me one piece of research that says the best thing to do for a mother who has just given birth is to keep her awake for a ridiculous amount of time, shine bright lights on her, put her next to several other screaming babies, and make sure she can hear some bloke loudly ordering KFC and I'll consider it. Until then, no you're talking bollocks.

People are making out as if the midwives are deliberately treating mothers like shit. They do the best with the very very limited staff and resources they have. It would be amazing to get a private room for every woman / couple for postpartum care but in the real world, they are already short beds in public wards, short staff to look after them, and short the resources needed to manage them! Nobody is disputing they wish the care was better. But in this particular case, the medical professionals thought OP would be better looked after in a public ward than in a private ward.

I’m right, aren’t I?

I’m not looking at research! Im
too busy living in the realistic world…

I think they're going on "what I believe is right", and not acknowledging that for some women, postnatal wards are bloody awful places.
I was so glad to get home, away from the constant noise, and sleep in my own bed.

You still will be moved to a ward if there becomes a greater need for that room and sometimes, despite being booked in advance, they are unavailable because of somebody else’s medical or infectious need.

I will always feel as about the woman who was moved out of the private room that I went into around 1am.