staying on labour ward after ELCS

[LylaLils]

I wondered if anyone could tell me their experiences of this...I'm going in for ELCS on weds (hence the insomnia eek!) And will have to stay on shared labour ward for at least 2 to 3 days. I'm terrified my baby- will be the one to scream all night, keeping all the other mothers up.

I won't be very mobile either so if baby is crying uncontrollably will there be nurses nearby to help or do they leave you to it? Wish I had my own room...I hate the thought of disturbing other new mums and babies and everyone hating me!!

Try not to worry about it. I don't have any experience staying on a post natal ward, but my newborn and pretty much every other newborn I have known has just wanted to sleep and rest the first few weeks. I didn't hear a proper cry from my DD till she was a week old. The nurses will help you too, that's what they are there for. Hope it all goes well for you op. so jealous that you will have a wee snuggly new born

I stayed for two nights and had a woman who all night said at the top of her voice "I know, I know....what's the matter? That's enough now" every time her baby made a whimper. She then get royally bollocked by the MW for not waking up when her baby was really crying (harsh) and they accused her of ignoring it!

Suffice to say, next time I'm booking and paying for a private room.

Good luck!!!

I found that in the first day they will help you loads. I'd buzz to ask them to pass me the baby so i could change her bum but they were like 'dont be silly we'll do it for you'.

Then once catheter/edidural etc out then you'll be encouraged out of bed and to get on with it really. If you need help they'll come. And other mums will help. I was the only section lady in our ward and showering dressing etc took a while so other mums would always reassure me that they'd watch my dd.

I dreaded the ward, after my first elc i had a private room, this time i found it nicer on the ward. The only issues i had were that i couldnt fart! And second that you dont wear a pad whilst you're immobile, they put you on an inco pad and kind of wedge a pad in your buts so i was a bit embarrassed having to apologise for flooding the bed.

I had one EMCS and one ELCS and stayed in hospital two nights each. (Seeing as the EMCS was just before midnight, that stay was a bit shorter). Until the spinal wore off I had to buzz to be handed my baby, but that was only a few hours really. After that I just could pick them up myself.

They also offered to take them to the nurses station for a few hours so I could get some kip, when it was quiet. An offer I gratefully accepted.

I wouldn't worry too much.

Take pillows to help you get comfy. Ask the nurses/midwives etc to move everything into reachable distance especially drinks and buzzer. Take some ear plugs and an eye mask with you incase you need to sleep when baby does and it's middle of the day.

Ask them for help any time you need them, don't feel bad about it keep asking/buzzing etc.

Congratulations and good luck

Don't worry about it. I has ELC after 2nd child, it was actually quite relaxing being in hospital!

The babies generally sleep, and where I was the midwives were very helpful. Personally I was in no rush to go home (but I am odd like that!!)

Please don't worry!! I was on pn ward after my EMCS for 2 nights. Everyones in the same boat. DD didn't really cry much but with the 3 other mums being in various degrees of discomfort and their new babies you're all in it together. The general comings and goings don't help. Neither does the light shining from the mw station but if you're tired enough, you'll sleep.

I had v. little sleep in there but I think I was running on pure adrenalin.

You've got to think about how you'd feel if someone elses DC was crying at night. Would you be judging her poor parenting skills? Or would you be thinking 'poor thing, bet she's worrying about what we'll all be thinking'? And if anyone judges you, fuck them, you'll never have to see them again anyway!!!

Honestly, we spent our time rolling our eyes at our DCs in the morning and apologising to each other but we were all in it together and laughed about severe sleep deprivation over our morning cuppa! Please, please don't worry.

And try swaddling. DD loved it. She was the best sleeper in our pn ward. Will help to keep her calm and cosy.

Good luck btw! Hope all goes well. Come back and let us know how it went?!

I stayed in 2 nights with dd. It was a block of 4 beds, all occupied. Tbh, I think one or other of the babies cried all night. Still, it was only dd a quarter if the time!

With DS I had a private room for 5 days. He was in icu for the first 48 hours and it was very lonely. Lots of midwives (from the community team who had done my antenatal care and the labour ward) came to visit but otherwise it was quiet, peaceful and a bit lonely.

Suffice to say that I booked myself out after my CS after one full night on the ward.

I was in a lot of pain, they expected me to walk to the dining room to eat and leave the baby behind in the ward (or push him in the bassinet, because carrying him was not allowed). He was NOT a sleeper, and the one night I stayed in the ward neither he nor I slept and I spent it balanced precariously in bed with him propped awkwardly on my chest (the only way to keep him quiet).

The MWs were overworked, very busy and not really helpful. I was certainly not the most badly affected in the ward.

They were very unwilling to let me book myself out, and tried to delay me by saying that all the tests had not been done. bUt it was hell on earth in there. At least it was quiet and my own space at home, I was allowed to carry and sooth my baby and it was not to far from the fridge to the sofa.

I hope your experience is very different.

I had a private room all the way through my EMCS. The hospital only did private rooms. I was in seven nights total as DD was jaundiced, and it was hell! I was bouncing off the walls in the end, there's only so much internetting/texting/facebooking/watching telly you can do. I desperately wanted to speak to another mum/check my baby was normal/have someone to talk to who wasn't DH/MW. I've deliberately chosen a hospital with wards this time!

They were very helpful on the first day/night, basically did everything for me (apart from the stuff DH was doing) but on the 2nd day after the catheter was out, they wanted me to stand up and do things for myself.

It WAS very hard being made to stand up when I didn't want to, but I quickly realised the sooner I got mobile, the better I felt.

Showering by myself on the last morning before we left for home felt so empowering - even though I'd had a fairly easy pregnancy, just the feeling of being in the shower on my own with no baby bump made me think 'you WILL feel like yourself again eventually, you CAN do this!'

Good luck!!