am so annoyed at hospital "policy"

[RedOnHerBeheadedHead]

I have also posted this in AIBU section.

A few weeks ago I had a Loop Biopsy to take abnormal cells from the cervix. Last wednesday it got infected so they put me on antibiotics. Then the day before yesterday I started bleeding BADLY with HUGE clots. The Hospital (Royal Gwent) wanted to keep me in overnight but I am exclusively breastfeeding my 5mth old baby.

I got very upset and was told first that he could stay with me, then when it was checked with the ward Sister, it turns out that their policy on Breastfed babies is that they are allowed to stay with a mother up to the age of 3mths. So they wouldn't let him stay with me.

My options were as follows:

1. Express while there and get DH to feed him with a bottle (he has never had a bottle)
2. DH could fetch him in when he needed feeding (We live 30mins away if traffic is good)
3. Discharge myself against their advice

1. - Like I said, DS has never had a bottle so for me to firstly be away from him and for him to be fed from a bottle (which I had no idea if he would take it or not), would be such a shock to him, and I just wasn't willing to do that.
2. - We have a 3.10yr old DS1 so for DH to get DS2 to the hospital for a feed would take nearly 2hours when you take into account getting both DC's ready, childcare for DS1 (if available) driving to the hospital, and finding a parking space. There's no way i could have done this to my baby.

So, I ended up discharging myself, against their advice, signing a disclaimer, purely because they would not make an allowance for my exclusively breastfed baby. I didn't wan't to sign myself out - I didn't wan't to go against their advice, but I had to make sure my baby would be fed.

What, logistically, is the difference between an exclusively breastfed 3mth old (which they were willing to accommodate) and an exclusively breastfed 5mth old????

ESPECIALLY WHEN THEIR POLICY IS TO GIVE INFORMATION TO MOTHER'S TO EXCLUSIVELY BREASTFEED FOR 6 MONTHS!!!!!!

I am seeking the advice of my Breastfeeding group HV. I am planning on making a complaint to the hospital, and even thinking of going to the press.

does anyone alse have any similar experiences?

i replied to your other thread x

Make a complaint. Do they claim to be bf friendly?

There was thread on here at the weekend where a woman ended up discharging herself because the ward wouldn't let her keep her 12 DAY OLD BABY with her! I'll have a look for a link in a minute. I think you should complain with all your might. It's not easy to accomodate a 5 month old baby on an ordinary ward and there are legitimate infection control worries but still breastfeeding is not an optional extra that you just turn off! How are you feeling now?

NorthernLurker - that's terrible!
The thing is, if he was 2 months younger they would have been fine with it. It was just his age that was the problem. They didn't say anything about infection worries, it was just "policy" that over 3 months was not allowed.

MsHighwater - I don't know if they claim to be bf friendly, i would have thought so, i will check now.

I would love to know how long they've had that policy - wonder if it's as simple as they've based it on the weaning age of four months? (ignoring the fact that babies will still be having breastmilk for long.long after solid food starts.)

ppwww.mumsnet.com/Talk/breast_and_bottle_feeding/630428-hospitalised-bfing-mum-of-12-day -old-not-allowed-to here is the other thread]]

Oooops!

HERE is the other thread

MsHighwater - yes they are breastfeeding friendly here

Thanks NorthernLurker - I will have a read now.

that really is awful isn't it!?
how could they do that to a 12 day old baby?
My DS is 5mths and breastfeeding is well established, but what they did to her is terrible, at 12 days a breastfeeding relationship isn't fully developed.
Absolutely outrageous!

Make a complaint. And personally I would have written on the disclaimer that I did not want to discharge myself but the fact that they wouldn't let me have my baby in with me was forcing me to make a choice between my baby's health and my own.

I was going to write exactly what PortandDemon wrote. That's unbelievable

Please complain! I didn't when I was kept in without my 6 day old ebf baby for three nights earlier this year - I think it helped contribute to my pnd. I didn't know I could complain, or that self-discharge was an option - was just exhausted and scared and confused. When they finally moved me to different ward for the nights 4 & 5 she was allowed in with me - DH had to stay too in case she needed attention which i couldn't give - but it made a world of difference to ALL of us. I still get weepy looking back though.

Please complain and go to the press. It is outrageous. I reckon your local paper would be interested and nationals often pick up on stories from locals (my DH is a journalist).
Hope you are ok.

PortAndDemon - great line about forcing me to make a choice between my baby's health and my own - do you mind if i use it in the complaint I have written?

pudding25 - is your husband interested in the story??? LOL I wan't this to get as much publicity as possible.

Thats awful, what difference does 2 months make?? Make a complaint and definitely go to the press.

That's fucking terrible - there is no bloody difference between the three month old and six month old - six year old I could understand!!!!

When I was admitted with a baby, both times, they have allowed my baby to stay with me and you get a private room because of the risk of infection (to the baby from other patients). However they can't obviously change/handle the baby (though in actual fact the night nurses were desperate to cuddle both of my babies).

Complain a lot. That's appalling.

That is absolutely outrageous. I was once in hospital overnight (I had to go to A&E in the middle of the night with - emetophobes please look away -

uncontrollable vomiting)

Anyway dd1 was exc b/f and about 4 months old iirc. I know the circumstances were very difficult to yours. Basically they wanted me in for 12 hours minimum on a drip for rehydraytion precisely because I was b/f and they wanted me stable and keeping fluids down as quickly as possible.

dh stayed with me constantly as did dd. The ward sister in particular was lovely, she cuddled dd for a while as she was unsettled. Also she was a bit concerned about infection, and actively encouraged me to have dd in bed with me and definitely not in car seat on the floor.