What was your post natal care like?

[sazzybee]

I had great antenatal care and a good birth experience considering I had some major complications and had to have a cs in the end.

Unfortunately, that excellence didn't continue after my baby was born. I was really shocked by the standard of post-natal care I received - both in the hospital and from the community midwives. I was in hospital for 4 days because of the cs. Some of the things that I was particularly aggrieved by:

• I was nil by mouth all day on the day of my cs as they thought I may have to have one. In the end I went into theatre at 5pm and was on the ward by 10pm. I wasn't given anything to eat or drink until 8am the following morning.
• the woman who brought my breakfast the morning after my cs left it on a tray at the end of the bed so I couldn't reach it and said it wasn't her job to pass it to me
• no one showed me how to hold or change my baby or how to bf
• there has been no continuity of care whatsoever - I never saw the same nurse or mw twice either in my stay at hospital or at home
• when I asked a mw at night to pass me my baby to feed him she said 'what's wrong - broken your legs?' and virtually threw him onto my lap. This was 30 hrs after my op and I found twisting and lifting the baby at the same time really painful
• no one told me how to care for my scar
• no one told me how to expediate my recovery and what I should or shouldn't do after a cs
• the mw didn't turn up when she was supposed to remove my stitches and I got an infection because the beads started growing into my skin

I feel really disappointed and that the lack of care has made my recovery much more difficult. I couldn't wait to get out of hospital and when I got home couldn't wait to get signed off from mw care. I'd be really interested to know if my experience the norm for the NHS nowadays or is it unusual?

Shite.

I've got myself all worked up now. I'll have to go and eat another creme egg!

sazzybee, that sounds awful experience. I saw you are based in London, would you mind saying which hospital it was? I am due to give birth at St Thomas' in a couple of months. The birthing center looks lovely, but I wonder what it's like once you are on the post natal ward (which isn't on the tour).

I'm in Dorset.

Lol @ GeeGee2 HAVING to go and eat another creme egg

That is really terrible Sazzybee especially as you had had a CSection and therefore all the recovery from surgery..poor you..

After DS1 I had an awful time and crap, bullying postnatal care. I ended up with an infection in my episiotomy which was more painful than the birth. I had no support and was just left to fend for myself. I did complain and I think it made a difference for other mothers (for a while anyway).

DS2 was a whole different experience because I had an Independent Midwife. Lots of postnatal support and care for 6 weeks.

Have you thought of complaining? If you say nothing they will carry on assuming this kind of awful "care" is acceptable.

Great post-natal care. I had c-section so afterwards was put in a ward right next to nurses station. Always on hand to help and encouraged me to ask questions and ask for help whilst I had the chance. This was the Southern General in Glasgow. Pre-natal care was ok but the midwives I dealt with worked at another hospital which is actually my local hospital. As I chose not to have my baby there some of the midwives (not all) were a bit stroppy with me

Sazzy, sorry to hear you had such an awful experience

My postnatal care with DS was poor - they sent the student midwife who only ever checked the baby, not me. In the end I had a look at my stitches and took myself to the GP
When I complained to the head midwife they sent the student again.
As a first timer I had no idea what she was supposed to me doing

This time, I've only seen a MW twice in 3 weeks

So sad to read these experiences. I had a cs 4 weeks ago and could not have received better treatment- in fact I've been raving about it because it's been such a contrast to having my other children 20 years ago in the same hospital.

DH made such a hash of changing DD that the mws took over and told him to buzz for someone to do it in future (and they came, every time). I had problems with feeding so they told me to buzz when I started a feed so they could watch, and then got me the electric pump to help.

I was washed the first day, and the second I was escorted to the shower. In fact I got fed up that they wouldn't leave me to it.

I did have the same problems with reaching the food tray- that seems to be a universal complaint in hospital.

The consultant visited me every day, as did most of the medical staff I'd seen during the cs and antenataly.

When we got home the mw I'd seen for antenatal appointments visited for more than 2 weeks and wouldn't sign me off until she was happy I was 100%.

I had the baby at St Marys and aftercare was provided by the Royal Free (I've asked friends who've had babies at the RF and elsewhere and it seems that crap community mws are par for the course with the RF - nothing to do with my having the baby elsewhere).

I would say in SM's favour that the antenatal care was exceptional, as was the care I received during the birth. And the wards and facilities were spotlessly clean and the beds went up and down (in answer to the person who said they thought beds were too high)! It was just the people who worked there who weren't much cop which you wouldn't know by taking a tour sadly. Given I was there for 4 days and never saw the same person twice, I can only assume they were mainly agency staff.

I had no postnatal care on the ward after either of my children were born - with the exception of being shown where my bed was.

I had to get my own water and when DS needed a bottle I had to walk the ward to find a Midwife to help - I discharged myself after 6 & 12 hours respectively.

I had fair postnatal care at home by the community midwife on both occasions. Having said that I was given the most appalling advice after DS1 re. feeding but I didn't feel hard done by then.

mine was good, but then i have the confidence and attitude to ask and ask til i get what i need. so i did get bf support, but i asked for it. i did get my bed changed, but i asked for it. with the food, i probably would have been hungry for 48 hours had i not brought my own, same for drinks. i had my own so didn't need help for that. i would add though, i did have a straight forward birth, no complications, so i was quite able to get around etc.

the only slightly crap bit was that my bed was right infront of the toilet and shower room door, so i was in the midst of a lot of coming and going, alarms going off with women collapsing etc. also, when dd got hiccups i didn't know what i was supposed to 'do.' crappy midwife told me 'yes love that's what they do, they poo, they wee, and they hiccup, now go back to bed dear.'

i was in for 36 hours because dd had been born more than 24 hours after my waters had gone, so she had to have her temperature checked every 3 hours in case of infection. they also wouldn't discharge me til they'd seen me do a full feed without help. once home my community midwife visited me, same one that did my appointments. i think she came the day we got home, and then a week later.

Thinking back, my bed was too high as well - I struggled to get in and out so it must be even worse if you've had a cs. I don't think that the staff lower the beds after they've made them.

It was like being in a sick tent during the Crimea pre-Florence Nightingale

I have had both types of experience - with my first I think they forgot I was in the ward as virtually no one came to see me until my husband went to demand that I be allowed home. With my second it was totally different. I can't say enough nice things about this maternity unit (Greenways - midwife led at Chippenham hospital). They were wonderful throughout my birth and aftercare. Couldn't believe it when they brought both my husband and me tea and toast after the birth. Tea in proper mugs!! Made my whole childbirth experience memorable for all the right reasons.
There are some great midwifes out there.

I think this is a bit of a glass half full/half empty thing - I was in for five days as there were some concerns about DS's breathing.

On the downside, the ward was boiling hot, the bathrooms weren't always very clean and I never had the same midwife for more than one of their shifts. I also was when a very young SHO kept insisting that DS was given formula (long story) and when on the first night after his birth he had a bottle, rather than being cup fed.

But, funnily I have mainly pretty good memories, I had some wonderful midwives who I still think of really fondly, and most of the time fantastic support with breastfeeding.

From what I could see there were some great peole there, really doing their best but absolutely overworked

Suzywong, I think we were in the same hostpital. With DD midwives forgot me, an I had to phone them when she was 11 days old to ask for a heal prick test.

I had appalling postnatal care and it still upsets me to think about it 18 months later. DD was delivered by emergency section after labouring for 48 hours. I had her at 8am in the morning. Once I got onto the ward I asked for something to eat as I hadn't eaten since 5pm the night before. I was told I couldn't have anything. At lunchtime they said they didn't have a lunch for me. When they came round at teatime and walked past my bed I burst into tears. They eventually managed to find me a meal.

My mum came to visit that evening and had to ask them to change my catheter bag as it was about to burst. I also had to ask them to come and change me as they had simply stuck a sanitary towel between my legs 12 hours earlier when I had DD. I had managed to soak through all the sheets and was in a complete mess. No one had thought to check on this for me and I couldn't do it as still had a catheter in and numb legs.

I was never shown how to do anything despite it being my first child. I was also not asked how my pain was and eventually asked them for a paracetemol. They said I didn't need one as I was on morphine. I said I hadn't had any as far as I knew and they eventually checked my notes and realised ~I hadn't been given any pain relief at all.

Their breastfeeding support simply consisted of taking hold of my nipple and squashing it into DD's mouth. They then gave DD a bottle when I had made it very clear that I wanted her to be solely breastfed.

I can't bear to think about it anymore.

Funding is of course important but In my experience of two different hospitals the attitude of the staff is THE most important. With my first after a 24 hour labour lots of episiotomy stitches and a blood transfusion the staff insisted ds had to sleep in his cot two feet from bed. After the hundredth time of dragging my tortured nether regions out of bed to the cot and back I fell asleep breast feeding on the bed. I was woken by an irate midwife (I was the only one trying to bf on ward) who snatched him away and woke him so we were back on the treadmill of agony until morning and for the next few days.
second time round they asked staight off if I'd like ds2 in bed with me and put a barrier on my bed. We both slept well and went home next day-what a difference a bit of thought made.

Absolutely crap once I left hospital... they were great in hipsital but looking back, sazzy, no-one showed me how to chnage or dress my baby, how to bf etc but I suspect they were letting me do it on my own and would have helped if I had asked.... nice of them to tell me that though.

Once I left hospital the community midwife service was appalling. My own midwife came once and then she went on hols - no other midwives in the area would come as I live 1 mile outside of their catchment area - even though I am within the doctor's surgery catchment area - apparently the midwife area is different though they are based at the doctors surgery

I had no continuinty of care whatsoever - different locum miwives visiting every 2-3 days (they refused to come more often) and they never read my notes. I had terrible baby blues and struggling with bf which I explained to each midwife who came but they all gave conflicting advice. I'm really angry about it now as I am sure if I had had more support I would have managed to bf for longer (4 weeks was all I could manage due to bleeding cracked nipples, incredible pain and dreadful baby blues).

After midwives, crappy HV came to visit who told me off for sitting cuddling my 2 week old dd and I should leave her on the floor/cot as much as possible, do controlled crying for up to an hour and snap the word "BED" in her face when it was nighttime rather than cuddling her and putting her down. I did not take this advice thank goodness.

I'm convinced it all led to me feeling terribly low - I have no mum and no other relatives with kids to turn to for advice - thank goodness for MNET! Would not have survived without it!

The midwife in the delivery suite was great-really appreciated everything she did for me....but the aftercare, like many ladies was awful. I was shocked to be honest, the first professional/midwife I saw was 8 hours after the birth! I was stuck in a room in my own. No one checked my stitches, BP, blood loss, told me where I could get breakfast or shower, no help with BF etc....I was discharged quickly.

What's happening?

Um..... afraid to pipe up now!

I think that the Whittington is actually a rather lovely hospital. The mws are improving, but there are still a lot of the old stock about.

In the line of my work I have seen different hosptials across London and the postnatal care leaves a lot to be desired in many of them. With the lack of resources and the overstretching of the mws it's hardly surprising.

I have a client currently at the Whit and mostly her postnatal care is good. The client before had fair care. Other hospitals, including the one that you were at sazzy make my blood boil. But it all comes down to the individual mws. There are many many good ones and because people normally speak up about the bad we don't hear about the good.

I spend much of my postnatal visiting time talking to parents about how to get the kind of treatment that they want and reminding them about the NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) guidelines. I prepare my clients for the whole experience.

I wish I knew a simple answer for how to make the postnatal care excellent in all hospitals and I really look forward to the day when people say how great their postnatal care was (consistently and across the board).

I'm sorry that your experience was so crap!

Mine was great with both DS in 2002 and DD in 2006. (West Wales Hospital, Carmarthen BTW).
Stayed in a few days each time as had stiches. MWs generally v supportive although obviously v overworked. Saw the same community mw's at home as had seen during ante-natal care - got to know them quite well in fact!
Agree that the standards of cleanliness on the ward and in the loos etc could be improved as it was generally being done 'half arsed' as someone said.
I think the 'lazier' mw's are really in the minority, but my sympathies to anyone who's had a bad experience.

My antenatal and postnatal care were bad.

I had an emergency c section. Ds was an 'undiagnosed breech' and he was also 9lb 12. I had pre eclampsia (I had no idea of this). I didn't see a midwife at all in last 4 weeks of pg, they didn't want to see me until my due date. I also saw a different midwife on each visit.

-I had to walk from recovery to the ward day after my c section and when I got there, no bed was there, just an empty space. I had to stand and wait for a bed.
-Noone changed my sheets for the 3 days.

• I asked to leave after 2 nights and was told no as I had high blood pressure, even though this was only checked once.

-Noone helped me to feed or ask I wanted help to feed baby.

• Noone told me where to find bottles or clean equipment, had to look myself.
• Got 'told off' by midwife when leaving hospital as dh carried ds, huge scene was made.
• The ward was so hot I ended up with heat rash and had to ask a doctor to check ds as he seemed to be over heated.

I could go on but it makes me feel sick thinking about it!

Sazzybee, I had a nearly identical experience to you also at St Mary's and with RF midwife screw up. 18 hour induced labour ending in c/s. As I was wheeled out of the theatre I asked if I could eat yet and was told in the morning. The m/w did offer me a cup of tea but I didn't see the point in staying awake for that - toast would have been a different matter......

I spent an entire night up as ds wouldn't settle and when I asked the m/ws what to do they said it's just wind. (It was wind and hunger because his stomach had been stretched by too much formula on the first day for low blood sugar.) The morning m/w when I asked her what was wrong with him and should a paed see him, heard one cry and said hunger and "kindly" gave me formula to feed him which led to a lot more problems.

I did ask what to do with the scar and what I was allowed to do. I was told that a m/w would come to take out the stitches and it needed no special treatment. We live in westminster but were staying with my parents in camden. STM said RF should visit us and they said we were STM's responsibility. I noticed the scar looked infected on day a m/w should have taken out stitches but no one would come. Tried locum but was told it was hospital's responsibility. By the end of much frantic phoning over the next day we ended up with 2 m/ws one from STM for me and one fromt he RF the next morning for ds. The RF one sent us back to STM as ds had jaundice. I also never saw the same m/w once we left hospital.

I asked what I wasn't allowed to do and they told me drive (I have 5 failed driving tests) and lift anything heavier than the baby. Prams were not covered as I discovered after trying to push one.

I did get a b/f counsellor the first time round who was okish but it was morning after c/s and I was a bit spaced out. We got a brilliant one the 2nd time when we were admitted for jaundice who was really helpful and encouraging especially as I had just managed to get ds over nipple confusion.

I did see some of the same m/ws. In fact the one who transferred me from the labour ward, a lovely ghanaian lady with 3 sons, was on the 2nd time we were there and was absolutely amazing in helping when it felt like everything was against us. (They kept on saying that ds should be given formula and that I didn't have enough milk and I was being bullied by a completely awful nursery nurse. Thankfully we got discharged after 25 hours with me more yellow than ds after 6 hrs continuous feeding to get his dehydration levels up.) This m/w sent us the really good b/f counsellor and chased up paedeatricians for us (average wait - 7 hrs).

I was also desparate to get out of there asap and after one m/w sent us to hospital with jaundice (valid) the next one wanted us to spend another day in a&e because ds had not put on birthweight by 10 days (he had jaundice for crying out loud) I couldn't wait to say goodbye to the m/ws either.

It wasn't all dreadful but it was pretty bad.