What happens to the baby if mum becomes ill during labour/Just after

[Flamingo19]

Only asking as the thought entered my head and couldn’t find much info on the internet. Say the mum became very ill, life threatening, ended up in intensive care etc, is the baby handed over to the father to care for?

I was in hdu for 2 days after my youngest was born because I had sepsis. He had sepsis too so he was in nicu. Dh was looking after the other dc so we were both on our own. I saw him briefly twice in those 2 days and held him once. When he got a bit better and moved to special care he used to scream for me all the time. I was in postnatal by then but still felt really rough and it was a real struggle to shuffle down to see him. The neonatal nurses used to bring him to see me a couple of times and that was amazing. I loved being able to snuggle up in bed with him, so much more comfortable than sitting in a hard chair next to his cot in scbu.

Different- I dont think the poor ICU nurse knew what to make of me (I heard her tell someone else "shes still crying." Then they got me a photo). When I woke up all I wanted was the baby and as the hours went by I was in tears becoming more and more upset. I really didnt realise how ill I was. I told the nurse I was going to get up and go myself if they wouldnt bring my baby to me. She saw I was trying and supported my head - but i was plugged into all sorts and couldnt move at all anyway. I couldnt move myself for a couple of days.

I rememeber a midwife bringing baby across and then them saying the baby had to go back. I was hysterical. I didn't want to be separated from my baby again but I couldnt do anything about it. It was a pure animalistic thing and awful. Sadly despite being desperate to see her I really struggled to bond the first few months when I finally came out. I wasnt even in ICU that long and when moved to HDU in maternity had the baby next to me.

It was awful. But then i had no family support and my husband although popped in had to go to my other daughter as we didnt have much care for her. The whole thing wad awful :(

The actual nurses were lovely but it really affected me. Even now I feel funny about it.

Ellie - i know when we're really ill it has to work that way but I still think its so cruel to separate mum and baby so early.

I was very sick after my second and was put to sleep. I came around, got a quick hug with our baby and then was informed that I needed to go to the main hospital. My DH got to stay with baby for two nights. It was very hard as DH wanted to be with us both, the hospital did offer to look after our baby for the first night but we declined as I wanted DH with our DC that was more important.

I was in hdu with 121 midwife care.

AdventuresRUs it was awful, I still remember that desperate feeling when they took him away from me in the operating theatre. Afterwards I was desperate to be with him but at the same time I felt so sick and in pain being pushed in a wheelchair down to nicu. I remember reading on here about a poster who stayed on a ward that was both postnatal and nicu so it was like a normal postnatal ward but they had the equipment and staff to look after poorly and premature babies too. I wish that had been available when my baby was born.

I had a bit of an odd reaction after my section. I went sort of feverish for a few hours and then slept. I wasn't well enough to be wheeled down to see my (prem) daughter in nicu for about 10 hours. She was obviously being looked after by medical staff and my husband was going between us. The staff took a Polaroid of her for him to bring to me.

If mum is admitted to ICU then baby either goes to NNU or can go home with dad but legally only if the parents are married. As unmarried fathers have no parental rights until the birth certificate is issued.

We’d talk to the dad and see what he wants, does he want the baby, if mum is looking like she might die he may well be in no state to have the baby, what support does he have, is it his first baby, does the nnu have capacity to take the baby?

As a midwife I did get moderately told off once for sending a baby home with an unmarried dad. Though I would imagine if I’d refused and the dad had gone to court for an emergency order the court would probably have weighed up all the evidence and let him take the baby home. The maternal grandmother was happily supporting dad.

In our hospital dad would look after the baby with help from the staff. Baby would also be on observations as mums tend to see things changes in their that others may miss. If mum was not going home for a while baby might go home with dad.

Its nearly 7 years on and,although not as bad as I was, I still find my breathing panics a bit when I read this thread/remember bits of it. :(