just had a run in with the maternity ward bounty photographer

[StateofConfusion]

And having previously defended them and loved my pictures of my eldest children todays 'rep' has made me agree they need to be removed from wards!

She arrived originally before breakfast turned on the lights and opened curtains waking me and the other Mum up, then continued to talk over the peadiatrician who was checking my dd over.

Eventually she sulked off but apparently came back when I was asleep (how dare I?) Last time she came back as I'd just settled dd and was eating lunch which had just arrived.

I said No photos at the minute thanks she got most insistant that its for security reasons?? (I'm going home today) and said she'd just lean round and take them, dd was asleep on my lap in a v pillow whilst I ate. I said again, not right now I'm eating she left brochures and went off muttering quite loudly.

I'm hormonal so ofc this has upset me, but not as much as the first time mum across they way! WHY are these people allowed to just walk around a maternity ward being so fucking rude!

look forward to seeing it. i'm good on ideas but would have no idea how to execute it

How about complaining to the OFT- Office of Fair Trade?

And the nice thing about the signs isn't might also serve to make some of the other mums on the ward more aware.

It strikes me we need an anti-Bounty pack and a tribe of earth mothers to distribute it. Direct competition. A cotton shopping bag with samples of cotton wool, a pair of washable breast pads, a sample reusable nappy and wrap, and some eco friendly hand cream for hard working new parents, along with a parenting guide sponsored by the magazine 'Green Parent' and sample packs of Fair Trade tea, coffee and most importantly, a small but perfectly formed bar of chocolate. These can be brought round by grandmotherly types who radiate love and peace to frazzled new parents.

The grandmotherly types could all have done a day's training in how to take great shots of babies and families with people's own smartphones and digital cameras, and offer this as a free service.

BoffinMum They already exist! Too bad they are not more popular. Mama Packs.

Boffinmum - one already exists, its called the mamapack

Emsyj didn't find a lock so that must have been where I missed out. They'll probably have a master key anyway

This thread is shocking. I had no idea!

Appalling that the NHS is allowing sales reps to tour maternity wards and sell to vulnerable patients. It wouldn't be allowed in any other part of the hospital. Those who have pointed out it contravenes various laws and regulations, inc. data protection and trading laws, as well as central NHS guidance, are correct.

We need to complain to the Department of Health, NHS Commissioning Board, local PCTs/clinical commissioning groups, Trading Standards, the Information Commissioner... there are so many different organisations who should NOT be allowing this but presumably don't know it is going on because new parents have enough on their plate and half the time don't realise all the implications.

Signs in for anti-Bounty pack volunteer duty !
I'd love to visit new Mums on my local hospital ward.
I've been a hospital ward visitor before on other wards through the chaplaincy service, as well as having been a nurse and a post-natal supporter with the NCT.
Also of course a Mum and a MNer
Thinking I couldn't be worse than some of these Bounty reps judging from stories on here !

Those packs look great! Actually useful. Despite being a bit of an earth mother and having been pg five time, and well connected to things like the NCT and independent midwives, etc, I had never heard of them, though.

My own experience of Bounty Packs is limited, as the only time I had a baby in hospital, it was a Sunday and I went home straight away. The midwives usually brought one around for me, though. Initially there were things like free Sudocrem (great stuff), and nifty little wet wipe boxes with sample packs of wet wipes, non bio soap powder samples and a disposable nappy, amongst other things. But I noticed last time that the pack was very sparse and full of cards advertising low return investment products that I wouldn't have considered in a month of Sundays. What this had to do with childbirth other than the fact they had named a product using the word 'family' in the title, was beyond me. Anyway, largely irrelevant and it all went in the recycling (apart from the Sudocrem, which is always brilliant to have).

MNHQ, how would you feel about encouraging the Mama Pack people to engage with us on the site, for example getting people to review the packs or having bloggers write about them? That way we could help things along in a positive way. You could even be nice and give them a preferential rate given the interest here, and while we are at it we could slag off review the Bounty packs as a point of comparison, in the interests of journalistic fairness. Go on, MNHQ, you know you want to.

Mama packs certainly look like they'd be an improvement especially if delivered to mothers via naice people (like us !)

Thing is though, it's not really a few product samples that new Mums need is it, it's more someone sympathetic who's good at listening that's in short supply on most post-natal wards ?

Being a maternity ward visitor, making Mums cups of tea, being a listening ear for the 50th time you need to relive the birth, giving them free stuff and maybe taking pictures of them (on their own cameras) sounds like a really nice volunteer job. I wonder if it would be allowed ?

i would have much preferred a Mama pack if one had been available.

Crikey. I didn't want to to be visited by anyone who was neither related to me nor medically necessary when I had just given birth (however well meaning they might have been).
Hospital visitors = useful when people are stuck in hospital for a significant period. Probably a pain in the bum on a ward where virtually everyone is booted out in less than three days and where relatives and friends tend to visit anyway.

It does sound like a lovely volunteer job. If it's not allowed and Bounty sales reps are, one has to wonder why....

true Spartacus - i've never been on the PN ward as I was discharged from delivery so don't really have any idea of what might be nice/annoying

I remember having the bounty rep come round, but wasnt pushy in anyway.

She spoke to new parents about the services/prices they offered but didn't demand any photos there and then.
They had a little office allocated at the end of the ward and if you were interested in having any photo's then to nip down and let them know and they would come back with the camera.

If they want photographers on the maternity ward then thats the way it should be done IMO, but the last time i was on maternity was 10 years ago so it sounds like everything has changed and compassion and respect have gone out the window!
It's shocking they way some of you have been treated as it seems to be a common problem all over the country.

These people need to be stopped!

I think it's disgusting that this goes on. We had one and she got sent on her way.

My IM gave me a mama pack I now remember. Had some useful samples and vouchers. No aggressive selling

I have had about 5 mama packs, all at different times, with different contents - and have loved them all. They started out a couple of years ago, and have grown and grown - no hard selling AND they contain a child benefit form too! I would highly recommend them to anyone! Lots of samples, lots of information and any advertising is for ethical things.

I never had bad bounty experiences, however I was a little bit annoyed that the bounty rep came into the delivery suite about 4 hours after I had DD (I never went to the ward, was waiting for a discharge from the delivery suite) I felt it was a bit intrusive, considering that I was still hazy from labour and in the same bed I'd given birth in! I told her I didn't want pics, she gave me a pack without me giving her any details because I was too woozy but she was pleasant enough.

The mama pack sounds better, but do they still act as data sales agents, selling on your data??

They should def not annoy or wake people. But I am glad they are there as have some fab pics of newborn DCs. The ones I had were fine.

Selks - from Mama Pack's own facebook page

"Unlike other sample packs given to pregnant and new mothers we NEVER sell your details on to 3rd parties and we NEVER will."

Oh well that's very good. What does the mama pack company get out of it then?