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!

[TheProvincialLady]

I agree they should be banned from wards. Can you imagine the outcry if men on prostate surgery wards were invaded by the bounty man, trying to get hold of their personal details to sell on and opening curtains to get at them? Everyone has access to a camera these days. There is absolutely no benefit to women having them on hospital ground.

The only kind of bounty woman I want to see when I have just given birth is one carrying a massive sack of Bounty bars that she is desperate to get rid of and needs my help. I'd have sold my soul, let alone my address, to that woman.

[jinglebellyalltheway]

I've just written it in big letters on the front of my community notes, but dunno if I'll be with it enough to write it on my hospital notes during labour! It'll be in my birth plan though.. and if I have time I'll get a laminated sign to put over my bed!

[VivaLeBeaver]

The bounty packs are terrible, small pot of sudocreme, one nappy and a tiny pack of wipes.

[DuchessofMalfi]

Completely agree the bounty packs are rubbish, although the Sudocrem did come in handy as an extra in the changing bag. Most of the leaflets ended up in the recycling box

[TeeElfOnTeeShelf]

I was in the hospital for nearly a week and never saw them. Luckily for them because I don't suffer that sort of thing gladly when I haven't had a CS and a baby in SCBU.

And the pack was crap.

[DillyTante]

God some of these stories are awful! Don't remember coming across one with DD1 & thankfully had DD2 at home.

[milk]

Bounty got £60 off us when DS1 was born. I was so out of it I honestly would have signed away my soul :(

With DS2 I was much better and spent £15... Bounty lady was not happy.

[exBrightonBell]

I also had a ridiculous experience with the bounty woman when I had my ds. I'm hospital phobic anyway, and had been in for 5 days whilst they induced me. After finally having ds by emcs, I was in a side room of the post natal ward recovering from the c section and also a group b strep infection. My ds was in SCBU very poorly from the group b strep. I was very unhappy and distressed with the whole situation as you can imagine. The bloody bounty woman flung my door open and whisked my curtains aside and said "have you had your photos yet?". I just stared in horror at her. Whereupon she said "where is your baby anyway?!". I couldn't quite believe she'd come out with something so insensitive. So I told her - my baby is very poorly in SCBU and that is the most insensitive question you could possibly have asked me, please go away. She at least had the decency to look a bit bothered, and muttered sorry as she left.

I could get very angry about how they are allowed to prey on vulnerable women for the sake of money. I would happily pay the hospital a fiver to ensure they don't harass me!

[jinglebellyalltheway]

sudocreme will send you a free 8 pack of those little pots if you ask them BTW

[OhDearNigel]

I never went on the post natal ward as I was discharged direct from the delivery suite (was only in hospital for 4.5 hours in total). Reading this makes me very relieved that was the case !! Like you need some stranger up in your face with a camera after you have gone through labour and may have some very unpleasant birth injuries. I can't believe that it's allowed really, for what is essentially commercial purposes.

Maybe MN could start a "no Bounty on PN wards campaign" ?

[MincePiesAndBaileys]

Guess I'm lucky as the bounty lady on the ward when I had ds was pleasant and called before opening the curtain etc, and if I said 'not now' she actually listened and went away.

Would be mortified if I had one half as offensive as some of the ones mentioned above but would definitely complain, even if just quick email to the hospital or Maternity ward manager.

Would also be fab if somehow we could get Bounty themselves to see this thread.....would be great if we could opt in to allow the bounty lady to approach us post natallly. Would make it easier. if our family has to be allowed to in to see us then why should should a stranger be allowed to waltz in?!

at some of your experiences.

[fatcuntroller]

I'm still angry about bounty almost 5 years after dd1 was born. Woman comesaround curtain with camera and tells me she "needs" a photo of dd. I assumed she worked for the hospital and needed it for dds file or something. She then presented me with a price list. I said I didn't want to pay for photos and she said I had to now because she'd already taken the photo.

I paid eventhough we really couldn't afford it.

[PorkyScratching]

Our NHS refuse to have anything to do with Bounty, and havent for about 15 years. We dont get bounty packs at all, from midwives or from the hospital, thank god!

[wonderingwendy]

the same thing happened to me the lady was very rude as i didn't want them taken because i could not afford to buy them ,she wanted to take them anyway and i couldn't understand why if i didn't want them - wheres the reason in that ?
she stormed off in a huff i mean what on earth was all that about ?

[wonderingwendy]

the same thing happened to me the lady was very rude as i didn't want them taken because i could not afford to buy them ,she wanted to take them anyway and i couldn't understand why if i didn't want them - wheres the reason in that ?
she stormed off in a huff i mean what on earth was all that about ?

[DontmindifIdo]

see, no one has a really positive story, best others have is "they weren't that bad" - being polite to a new mum must be a minimum, their photos aren't cheap or good quality, the packs are pretty pointless and you get junk mail for months afterwards from them.

Definately 'no bounty vulture rep' all over my notes. and will be warned DH to tell them to bugger off we don't want to go on any mailing lists or have any crap photos thanks.

[wonderingwendy]

sorry posted twice

[jinglebellyalltheway]

our community notes get given to us in a bounty folder, so from the start the Bounty brand is given credibility and is familiar, and pregnant ladies see all the other pregnant ladies at scans etc sitting their with the Bounty notes holder!

Anyone who is against Bounty should decant their notes into a regular pocket file immediately and not advertise Bounty and give the brand the familiarity that breeds trust

[jinglebellyalltheway]

sitting THERE

[OhDearNigel]

I have to admit that I did quite well out of the bounty people though - for some reason they had some spare packs on delivery and the MW said "do you want a couple of spare packs" ? Which I gladly took as they all had a full size bottle of fabric conditioner in them. I then chucked all the advertising gubbins in a bin in the way out ! I felt I had got one over on them haha.

In fact there is a photo of me holding DD on our arrival home with the 3 bottles of Fabric-Conditioner-Sponsored-by-Bounty behind me on the kitchen worktop !

[ArielTheBahHumbugMermaid]

Holy fuck! I had never heard of this, having never given birth, but it sounds completely criminal!

[cbeebiesatemybrain]

I'm so grateful to mn for warning me about bounty. Thankfully I've only been approached by them once, when I was in the antenatal clinic very pg with dd. The woman handed me a pack and a form to fill in with all my details, then took the pack back out of my hand and said I could have it after I'd filled the form in and put it in the box on the desk. I wrote fuck off on the form and stuck it in the box, then the mw called me for my appointment

It is beyond awful that these vultures are allowed access to postnatal wards, especially outside of visiting hours has anyone found a petition anywhere?

[StateofConfusion]

Thanks for letting me get that off my chest, and agreeing with me!

I'm really sad that so many other women have tollerated this, thing is I'm a push over usually if she'd have come back later I'd have more than likely parted with the cash for some but she was just rude, and her whole manner was loud and dominating, told mum across the room from me, ALL mums join bounty, I've told her about mumsnet!

I'm going home now, well when dps moved the car to main entrance I am, I'm going to write a complaint once the fogs lifted, I'm only upset as I'm hormonal, I can't imagine how much worse she could make someone feel.

[OhDearNigel]

I have posted the following e-petition on the Downing Street website:

^Keep Bounty representatives out of Postnatal Wards
Department of Health

Bounty is a commercial company that survives by targetting new mothers to obtain details which are sold on to 3rd parties at great profit. Mothers routinely report unpleasant harassment from the Bounty reps who are given free access to postnatal wards; mothers who do not comply are insulted or even subjected to theft of their personal information from nursing stations. Women are pressured into purchasing expensive photographs, lied to that they will not be able to get child benefit without complying and photographs are necessary for hospital security. Mothers are disturbed while trying to feed their babies, sleep or consult with medical staff.
I would like the government to look at curbing the activities of this commercial organisation which has no place in a hospital. Cancer patients would not be subjected to such aggressive marketing when they were recovering from surgery, why should a post natal mother ?^

[Meglet]

I only saw one briefly with DS1. I was expressing and she just chatted about what a PITA bf was when it didn't work properly. She never asked for photos with him or with DD 2yrs later. Another ugly family here . I did get my pack though.

Agree they shouldn't be allowed on the wards.