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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

Postnatal care cancelled ‘due to covid’ (c-section)

57 replies

sarah13xx · 07/09/2021 15:56

Has anyone else experienced very little post natal care since leaving the hospital after their c-section? Everything seems to be cancelled with the excuse that it’s due to covid. The midwife was supposed to come every day at first but came twice and phoned once instead of coming. When you’re a new mum, don’t have a clue what you’re doing and have an incision that you have no way of telling whether it’s infected or not, how is a phone call any use? 🤷🏼‍♀️ I was told to take the dressing off it myself because they don’t have time to do it. The health visitor then came after day 10 and comes once a week. She’s lovely and very helpful but hasn’t checked me at all, it’s just for the baby really. My car insurance says I need to have a doctor check me at 6 weeks and say I’m fit to drive. I phoned the doctors to book my 6 week check-up and was told they won’t be doing postnatal checks just now ‘due to covid’. I questioned this and asked if this was even if you’d had a c-section but was told they won’t be doing it. If I really want to speak to a doctor at 6 weeks I can phone and get a telephone appointment 🤦🏼‍♀️ How am I medically trained to assess whether or not my wound is infected, my uterus has gone back down, my ab muscles haven’t split etc? It just seems complete madness!

OP posts:
CovidIsADick · 08/09/2021 11:02

This is really fucking unacceptable. I had a similar experience. Saw the midwife at home once and the HV twice the next week. My DD hasn’t seen a healthcare professional since her 6 week check (and jabs but that was in and out with no other checks) she is 1 now and hasn’t been weighed or anything since she was 6 weeks old. Her 1 year check was a quick phone call. I’m so sorry to say it but how much abuse has gone undiscovered? How many babies have undiagnosed conditions? It blows my mind!!! There is no excuse for it. It’s bullshit and negligent.

FluffMagnet · 08/09/2021 11:27

Unfortunately OP, a CS seems to come under the "you've had a baby, shut up and put up" heading rather than "you've had major surgery and probably need some proper nursing and advice". Mine was pre-covid, ended up with 2 infections (diagnosed by pictures sent to GP, although that actually suited me, and the GP did offer a F2F appointment if I wanted it) that I am sure was simply because I had no idea about wound care. I was being way too gentle with it because no one had thought to tell me anything more than "keep it clean and dry". I was told to remove the dressing in hospital at 24 hours but left to do it myself. There was no care on the postnatal ward other than the odd temperature or blood pressure check (minimal interaction) and painkillers were simply not doled out until you crawled to the midwives station in agony. I'm doing it all again in just over a month - I've been assured the postnatal ward is now better staffed, but one of the community midwives did urge me to complain if I experienced the same, as she said until the hospital are being bombarded with angry patients, they will continue to cut costs to the bone.

sarah13xx · 08/09/2021 21:43

@FluffMagnet jeez, it seems to be such a common occurrence and sooo many people seem to end up with infections. No one told me a thing about wound care. I had surgical stockings on when I had the c-section and I kept these on until I was leaving hospital. As I was walking out to the car with a nurse I asked if I should have taken the stockings off (as I still had them on), it was only at this point she casually mentioned I was to keep them on for 10 days. No one tells you a thing! I wasn’t told what I could/couldn’t do either. I think I was lucky to get in when I did. I’ve just seen an update tonight from our local hospital saying they’re having to cut back on a lot of services due to staff shortages and high covid cases 🤦🏼‍♀️ It’s definitely not individual staff to blame but the entire process that needs looking at

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sarah13xx · 08/09/2021 21:48

@CovidIsADick that makes me so sad 😔 it’s terrifying what could and no doubt will be going on in some households and no one will know. I’m a teacher and since having a baby I’ve been thinking about the things parents don’t do for the children at my school like giving them a snack for play time etc and I just think if these parents don’t do that for an older child what on earth do they not do for a baby 🤦🏼‍♀️ When my little one has been crying relentlessly I think I bet some awful people will just leave their baby to cry and then there’s me trying everything to make sure all his needs are met. It doesn’t bare thinking about but there drastically need to do something to address this and have the same policy in place everywhere instead of it being a postcode lottery

OP posts:
sarah13xx · 08/09/2021 21:50

@YouMeandtheSpew it just shows you the things they are no doubt missing by just not offering these appointments 😔

OP posts:
sarah13xx · 08/09/2021 21:50

@FluffMagnet oh and good luck for you next one! 😌

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ThatScottishLass · 09/09/2021 08:53

@CovidIsADick now that is absolutely insane! Where I am babies are seen by a paediatrician at 4 days, one month, two months, 4 months, 6 months, 8 months, 10 months, a year and then 15 months. Beyond that I can’t remember. It’s a legal requirement for us to select a paediatrician on the public healthcare service and they do check and if parents still haven’t done it after several reminders they send social services out to check. It’s insane that they just aren’t check-in on them at all Shock

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