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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

The Grandson, the car seat and the Hospital Policy - UPDATE

44 replies

NannyTee · 21/09/2009 10:30

So after driving ourselves mad - fuelled by the back up and advice on this site by you guys - I ring up the PALS office and speak to a really nice lady who says she will talk to the Ward Sister and clarify things for us - moments later she rings me back, tells me its sorted and someone will go and speak to my daughter - Ward Sister apologises for the 'missunderstanding' and says that obviously they don't need you to go out and buy a car seat - but recommends a mini cab co that provides baby seats. Progress!!! Sunday morning daughter is told she can go - we ring the mini cab, NO BABY SEATS!!!!!! But they tell me that they are excempt by law - and if daughter is happy to hold baby they are covered to take her!!! Daughter still nervous about leaving and thinks she'll be stopped by the nurses - but - they just let her go, didn't even ask about car seat or how they're getting home, didn't even see her out the ward!!!!!!! All this worry for nothing!!! And we have gorgeous grandson Ronnie home!!! I'm a Happy Nanny!!!!

OP posts:

OnlyWantsOneDoesntLikeDM · 21/09/2009 10:31

congratulations - can you direct me to the original thread as I missed it.

kreecherlivesupstairs · 21/09/2009 10:33

Brilliant news.

bigchris · 21/09/2009 10:35

congrats
no one checked me going home with second dc although with first dc i was escorted to the car
think it all comes down to how well staffed they are on the day

Original poster

NannyTee · 21/09/2009 10:43

original thread, sorry!!
www.mumsnet.com/Talk?topicid=am_i_being_unreasonable&threadid=827147-Leaving-hospita l-with-your-baby

I'm new to this - hope this makes sense!!

OP posts:

Yorky · 21/09/2009 10:57

Glad it all came out alright in the end and that Ronnie is enjoying his new pram

The unnecessary stress they put new mums through is really [grr] has she not been through enough with her DS in hospital for 5weeks?

Original poster

NannyTee · 21/09/2009 11:27

Yorky - exactly right - the gastroscisis pales into insignificance when you think of the unnecessary hassle this has caused!!!

OP posts:

TheOldestCat · 21/09/2009 11:30

Congrats NannyTee on Ronnie being home. And well done Lewisham PALS - they were very helpful for us too.

lisianthus · 21/09/2009 12:41

Congrats on the successful liberation of your DD and GS from hospital!

Not to be a wet blanket, but I do find it a bit worrying that the hospital has an arrangement with a minicab company that is encouraging people to let the cabbie drive them home holding their babies in their arms rather than being in a baby capsule though. The cabbie being covered by insurance for anything that happens isn't actually that helpful.

LovelyTinOfSpam · 21/09/2009 12:47

Huge congrats

moosemama · 21/09/2009 13:01

NannyTee, congratulations on Ronnie finally being allowed home!

Original poster

NannyTee · 21/09/2009 13:24

thanks Guys!!!

OP posts:

lal123 · 21/09/2009 13:50

Congratulations Nanny!

Glad that from your point of view it all got sorted out - but I'm another wet blanket who doesn't think much of a recommended taxi company encouraging your DD to carry her newborn on her lap and slightly that your daughter would risk your new grandsons health by not using proper child seat (legal or not!!!)

Personally I'd have called another cab...

giantkatestacks · 21/09/2009 13:53

Cab firms dont have baby seats (only boosters for older dcs) - how would you know it hadnt been in a crash anyway. The only thing to do in that situation is get a black cab and park the buggy on it like a wheelchair...

Or use a sling and the seatbelt.

Fwiw we dont have a car and still have car seats of various sizes - it does come in useful occasionally.

Congrats on your new dgs!

LadyGlencoraPalliser · 21/09/2009 14:00

Using a sling and a seatbelt is about the most dangerous thing you could do. Baby would be crushed in the event of an accident. I can't see that having a baby unsecured in a buggy is very safe either.

giantkatestacks · 21/09/2009 14:05

No, neither of them are safe but in this situation when you dont have a car seat - those are the only options.

Is a black cab any less safe than a bus - I suppose it is more likely to crash and the result of a crash would be worse...

MadameCastafiore · 21/09/2009 14:06

Please tell me that you did not risk the life of your grandson for the sake of a few quid?

The world is not going barmy - rules are there for a bloody good reason when it comes to children and car seats.

LadyGlencoraPalliser · 21/09/2009 14:08

The point is GKS, that one of the options you are suggesting - sling and seatbelt - is in fact MORE dangerous than just holding the baby.

Original poster

NannyTee · 21/09/2009 14:10

just to clarify - my daughter did have her son in the carrycot/pram - secured with reins and then with seat belt attachment - and we will be buying a car seat for him just for cabs and friends cars - we just couldn't get one over the weekend

OP posts:

giantkatestacks · 21/09/2009 14:11

really? fair enough - why is that? Because its safer for both of you to go flying forward and not just the baby?

ruddynorah · 21/09/2009 14:13

couldn't you have just borrowed one from somebody? not seen previous thread. i'm really amazed you rang the cab at the last minute too. no other cab firms?

LadyGlencoraPalliser · 21/09/2009 14:19

Because babies crush easily.

Original poster

NannyTee · 21/09/2009 14:19

They only said she could go on Sunday morning - they kept changing the dates so we were on standby since Thursday - it was the hospital that gave us the mini cab number as they said it had baby seats, which it did not - I had previously tried numerous cab offices in the area and none of them had baby seats - my daughter wanted to bring him out in his pram but they had refused this, even though she had taken him out shopping with the pram while he was still a patient.

OP posts:

lisianthus · 21/09/2009 14:22

I'd have thought a sling and a seatbelt would be OK provided the seatbelt doesn't go around both you and the baby- i.e. the baby is in the sling, firmly attached to you, then the seatbelt goes around your waist under the sling and across your chest above the sling. That way the baby is not between you and the sling and would not be crushed in the event of an accident. It would be even better if you are facing backwards.

Is that what you meant GKS?

giantkatestacks · 21/09/2009 14:23

Well yes LGP but baby is still going to be crushed with the holding without the sling (by you probably as you both fly forward) - what specifically makes a ring sling etc worse?

I have never done it obviously - just looking for the reason that its worse instead of just as bad.

charleymouse · 21/09/2009 14:45

Nanny well done for getting it sorted and in the circumstances surely pram reins whilst secured in the pram would be better than just holding tight.

With your DGS having Gastroschisis I would have thought a car seat in traditional format might press on his abdomen. I know when were looking for a car seat for an exomphalos baby the carrycot version although not the safest on the market was possibly the best for him individually

I hope all is well with him now.

Whyever they could not just let her walk out with him in a pram I do not know.

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