OMG! Rupert Lowe: comments on maternity/labour wards

[drummingfingers]

Rupert Lowe* is the MP for Great Yarmouth (controversial enough to get kicked out of Reform, earlier this year and is now sitting as an Independent).

Just hopped on to his Facebook page as I assumed it was a joke, but no its true:

He posted yesterday:
Giving birth is obviously an incredibly challenging experience for the mother - trust me, nobody is denying that. I do think though, that fathers should be shown more respect by the NHS during the whole process.
No food provided, no basic bedding, nothing.
The father is having a child too - potentially staying multiple nights, sleeping on the floor or a chair?
If the NHS can find hundreds of millions for translation/interpretation and the rest of the diversity bullshit, then surely a few campbeds in each ward isn't such an impossible investment? Maybe a bowl of pasta for the dad, who does actually pay for that meal through his own taxes?
I've asked the Department of Health to reconsider their approach.
It would be nice if fathers weren't treated as some awkward afterthought, during the process and often across wider society.
Let's give dads the respect they deserve.

Well, Mumsnetters, should the NHS really be focussing on this.....surely a partner could pop to a hospital snack bar or bring in his own snacks FFS. Does this MP genuinely think its the most pressing thing for the NHS to providing extra hot meals?????????????

• Rupert was the savvy MP who reported to Border Force a dingy he saw off the coast of Yarmouth as he was worried that it was full of illegals.....he proclaimed "I am chasing them now"..... but it was just some charity rowers raising funds for MND.

Yes. They should. Otherwise both parents go home absolutely knackered for no reason while being expected to care for a new life. These are simple fixes that help mum, baby and dad.

Twats will be twats.
Poor men. Having to go and fetch their own meal and nap in a chair.

Does this MP genuinely think its the most pressing thing for the NHS to providing extra hot meals?????????????

Did he say he thought it was the most pressing thing?

100s of millions for translation and interpretation? He's talking out of his arse. Again

He's a bullshitting bell end and is not to be trusted

Giving birth is all about the poor men, isn't it.

They don’t even provide the basics for the woman going through childbirth, like a person to look after them throughout. Until that happens I think men can look after themselves.

Not sure what he's on about, my DH got tea and biscuits, lunch and toast when I was in labour!

He didn't stay on the ward but the bf chairs fully reclined on the ward and he was offered a blanket if he wanted.
With DS2 we were offered a double bed on the maternity unit if he wanted to stay (private rooms). Told him to go home both times overnight as he snores and didn't want him waking anyone!

If the NHS wasn’t so abhorrently financially mismanaged then they could afford it, along with all
those other things they are supposed to afford. As it is, no.

I think there are many, many thing that should be done before this I think since the men aren’t sick or going through an intense physical experience themselves, they can probably manage

If you are in hospital with a sick baby you are only fed if you are breastfeeding because the child is the patient. You often don’t get a bed or even a soft chair either.. I think able bodied fathers who are watching their wives give birth can get there own food, and sleep in their own beds.

I'm just surprised that someone would want to spend their Saturday evening reading his Facebook page, what a life some lead

He is horrible as are his party's policies.

Are all the dads in Yarmouth paying taxes....

The absolute hell of being wide awake on a postnatal ward listening to fucking men snoring all night. They need to fuck off at night time not be encouraged and fed!

Absolutely typical comment from the parasite. No, they shouldn’t, 💯 not. Us girls go through the entire process which is extremely dangerous and painful, they do nothing.

Translation and interpreting is not diversity bullshit. Mothers and babies have died in the UK in recent years for lack of them. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001sm8z

He can fuck right off with that line of argument.

When DS was in hospital last year I had a pull out bed in his room and 3 meals a day, no charge for any of it. He was 9 at the time so certainly not a breastfed baby. I think it must vary by area. But no, partners are not the priority on a labour ward.

Well if he's your MP then why wouldn't you? Also I doubt it was the whole evening unless OP is an exceptionally slow reader!

I very clearly remember being on the postnatal ward and the nurse going to the bed opposite and telling the Dad to get off the bed and let his partner have it back. His partner who had recently given birth had been relegated to the chair by him.
I also clearly remember my husband being given a cup of tea and jam and toast by the nurses whilst I was having my stitches

In summary, I think my DH was treated with respect. I also think that some men are total arses.

Men in post natal wards overnight feels wrong to me anyway. Although I do understand if had a section etc it means mum has much more difficulty and may need extra support, I’m bloody sure it would be a better investment employing a couple more MSWs than making the blokes more comfortable. I don’t want multiple snoring, farting blokes in the bay when I’ve just given birth.

It might be nice if the NHS wasn't already malfunctioning at so many levels but most dad's don't spend days in the ward do they unless baby is or mum are very ill.

There is no need for men to be in a post natal ward with vulnerable women who have just given Birth.

the care for those women needs to be given by the maternity staff. If that care is not adequate, then a greater look as to the reason why, and a solution needs to be sought. The answer is not, a should never be, allow men to be staying on the wards.

That’s certainly not the norm. I had an extremely unwell child for many years sadly.

Nonsense. We had a single in NICU then several years later twins. DH was with me every night with the first and two nights with the twins. He managed to walk to a cafe and feed himself.

Yes the chair could have been a pull out bed one but men staying on women's wards is a hugely contentious issue. We were in a private room both times.

I'd rather see parents on children's wards fed. It was much harder for me to leave my 3 month old / 6 month old / 10-14 month / 15 month / 18 month old on the ward to get lunch than it was for DH. THANKFULLY he's 10 now so as long as I bring him chocolate I can leave him to pop to the shop, so perhaps parents of under 5 year olds plus those who's children's disability increases their inability to be left .

I mean they did give my partner a camp bed to sleep on. He didn’t, though, he slept in the chair in the NICU next to our baby.

no, I don’t think the priority should be the fathers but neither do I think they should be treated badly.