What do you do with the baby

[Newnaime]

Overthinking I know, but if you're in hospital on your own, say back on the ward after having baby. What do you do with them when you need the toilet? Take them to the mw office and ask them to watch baby?

[InDubiousBattle]

I took ds to the loo with me. It was just across a coridor but incredibly inconvenient as there was a small area with a sink then a cubicle off that so I had to wheel him in and wee with the door to the cubicle open. Then carry my bedpan thing to the mw station whilst pulling along the crib. Due to the time I had ds and the time I was in labour by the time I was on the ward dp had to go home and I hadn't eaten for pretty much 30 hours. I was desperate for a cup of tea (it was the middle of the night so no trolley iminent) so called for a mw, she said to go make my self one. The room was along a coridor and around the cormer and I didn't want to leave ds so I had to take him with me then too. I packed a flask when I went in to have my second baby so that I woukd be able to have two cups from one trip.

[phoenix1973]

I was out of my head so they shoved me onto a commode and left me there. For hours.bitches.

[Newnaime]

It really is sad to hear some people's experiences with mws!

[boomboom1234]

I just left baby as there was a toilet in the ward and they have security tags on their legs so would set an alarm if anyone took them.

[boomboom1234]

Ps toilet was a tiny cubicle so no way the cot would have fit in. Maybe just ask a midwife to set your mind at ease what they recommend?

[hereyougosuckmyassforensics]

The midwives on the ward I was on took my twins overnight so husband and I could sleep.

[NickyNora]

After my last 3 I had own bathroom ensuite. You might only be in hospital for a few hours so only a couple of wees!

[Faze84]

Had to be buzzed in to the mat wards but i had a 4 bed ward to myself and it was really quiet and i must have had a million wees in the 24 hours i was in there. I left him in crib but i was quick about the wees. Poos were a different game thank god i was home for that... Like giving birth again!

I showered whilst dp there.

[QueenAravisOfArchenland]

I've just heard a few family members say "oh well you HAVE to take them with you when you go to the toilet."

Once they are more aware/mobile you do pretty much have to take them because they cry if you don't. And once they can crawl they follow you. My son is 3 and can unlock the bathroom door and let himself in to join me. There is a reason they say mums don't get to wee alone.

[Sassenach85]

I've only got one DC but I still wonder at how things are these days, things just don't seem "right". I had a horrific and very long birth with so much blood loss I should have had a transfusion. I passed out as they wheeled me to ward at 10 at night. After all that, left alone dh sent home. Left with a baby - I felt like I'd been in a car crash! I was exhausted and on a drip. I couldn't move my legs but I was alone. Told press buzzer if you really need something.

In the morning I remember wandering down a corridor with my drip looking for signs of human life, scared to have left my baby. No idea where food or tea was.

About 6 midwives all looked up at me with a look of disdain. I muttered along the lines of "I don't know where to go" and one of them pointed down the hall!! Fucking excellent experience. Great way to kick off my PND 😕

[Rumpledfaceskin]

I left mine in the cot whilst I showered/ went to loo as I didn’t even know it had wheels so that you could take them with you . Seems so obvious now. But I also didn’t know there was a button you could press to call for help or that there were microwave meals that you could help yourself to. I was in a week and lived on measly rations that my family brought in for me! So embarrassing.

[dinosaurkisses]

So sad to hear of the really shitty experiences some posters have had. I’m actually amazed some of those midwives found their way into nursing.

My ward wasn’t too bad- it was an ancient part of the hospital with little privacy but the midwives couldn’t have been better. A genuinely great team- I woke up at 10am when they normally got us up at 7:30am to find they’d fed DD for me at the request of the night shift midwife as she’d noticed how exhausted I was. They also spent a considerable amount of time trying to help me establish breastfeeding. I left a compliments card before I was discharged as I was so grateful for their care.

[notangelinajolie]

In the hospital I had my 3 in there was a nursery with a nursery nurse you could leave your babies with if you needed to sleep or wanted the loo/shower etc. After a difficult birth it was nice to know someone was there to take over/feed baby etc.

[CannotEvenThink]

Where I work you leave them in the crib and go. We'd love to watch babies for mums we really would and when we have a rare, not too stupidly busy night shift we do help out as much as we can settling babies etc but most of the time we don't even get a chance for a wee ourselves around doing obs, medications, discharges, feeding support etc. One midwife will have 6 or 7 women plus their babies to look after, 5 min per woman every couple of hours while she goes for a wee adds up.

[xQueenMabx]

I left mine in her cot, it was a 4 bedded bay with shared toilet and shower. The cots were on wheels but wouldnt have fitted in anyway. If i was going for a shower i just mentioned to a midwife where i was going and we all kept a bit of an eye on each others babies if someone nipped to the toilet.

[Grimmfebruary]

CannotEvenThink I was admitted back on to the maternity ward with my ds at 10 days so he could be observed - there was only one other mother and baby on the ward so the night shift took the babies so we could sleep. They came back well looked after and snuggled to pieces. Couldn’t fault the staff, they were brilliant.

[CannotEvenThink]

That must have been wonderful Grimm. It is lovely when we can, most of us enjoy a spot of babysitting but it is very rare for me that we can.

[Grimmfebruary]

I think they were taking advantage of how quiet the ward was! It was quite relaxed, they all had their slippers and slipper socks on having 5 minutes peace with our babies.

[HappyLollipop]

I just left my DS while he was asleep to use the toilet he slept practically all day the first day but I would just tell the mum next to me that I'm popping to the loo but he never woke up or had any problems while I went.

[Buxbaum]

I don't understand this not being able to leave them long enough to have a wee, at hospital or otherwise.

WRT to the postnatal ward, rationally there isn’t much reason not to leave a baby briefly on a secure ward. However, when you haven’t slept properly for days, you are exhausted from labour or surgery, bleeding, flooded with hormones and already feeling pretty vulnerable I certainly wasn’t in any position to make a rational judgment.

[megletthesecond]

I wheeled mine down to the toilets with me.

Abduction fears.

[CatsForgotPassword]

I had my mum with me the entire time, so she had him. Midwives did watch others.