Have you experienced postnatal care in the UK from October 2013 onwards? please help MNHQ by completing a survey - £100 to be won NOW CLOSED

[AnnMumsnet]

MNHQ is interested in finding out about women’s experience of postnatal care - both in hospital and in the community/at home.

This survey is open to everyone who’s experienced postnatal care in the UK from October 2013 onwards (so in the past three years). It is not focused on miscarriage care, but it is applicable to anyone whose pregnancy went beyond 24 weeks.

We know that sadly, not every pregnancy results in the birth of a live baby. This survey is mostly about the care received by the mother, so we hope that everyone who has experience of post-birth care will be able to fill it in, whatever the outcome of the birth. We’ve tried to be as sensitive as possible to different circumstances, but if your pregnancy ended in a bereavement or serious illness for mother or baby, there may be some questions here that are not relevant to you; please just choose ‘not applicable’ wherever this happens - and do let us know if you have any feedback for us.

And - finally - the survey is very long we’re afraid; you may need 10-15 minutes to fill it out, especially if you had an inpatient stay on a postnatal ward in hospital. Apologies.

When responding to this survey, please think about your most recent experience of post-natal care.

All who complete this survey will be entered into a prize draw where one Mumsnetter will win a £100 John Lewis voucher.

PLEASE NOTE: the survey goes into some detail, and some women have found it emotionally tough. We'd really like as many women as possible to complete it for us, but of course please prioritise your own wellbeing when thinking about taking part.

Here's the link: www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/9CGL8JR
Thanks and good luck with the prize draw,

MNHQ

Done. My answers were quite positive, and I almost wish I could have answered for my first birth five years ago, after which I experienced some really shocking "care".

Done. The attitudes of some members of staff when I had postnatal psychosis was appalling. Just a bit of compassion would have gone a long long way.

Done

Done

I found this survey to be quite triggering. If you've had a particularly negative experience then be prepared.

Done.

I thought the questions were quite incisively written. They certainly covered most - if not all - of the shortcomings of my first postnatal experience. It's just a shame that it happened too long ago to be relevant for this survey.

If MN are looking to expose the shocking treatment that lots of women face on postnatal wards, then that's a very good thing.

Done. Triggering unhappy memories

Done. Might be worth adding the option of "private room on postnatal ward". I have no idea what the main ward was like, just my little lonely room.

Done. I had a much better experience giving birth for the second time, but when I had complications with my first the care was sub standard.

Done. I wish I could have filled this in for my first birth when I had an awful experience on a postnatal ward! My second experience was relatively positive.

Completed for my recent birth experience. Hope the research helps someone out there.

Done

Done

Done. As with everyone else, my recent experience was so much more posture than the first which was so awful. Partners were able to stay this time in the postnatal ward and although in theory I was against the idea, it made such a huge difference having 24/7 support.?

Completed for my second caesarean and second baby last year. The survey doesn't get at my overriding view, which is that no one but you has time to focus on you. So you prepare by having partner on hand to track down painkillers, food, etc. We just got on with it, tracking down the midwife to discharge me, then the person who does the paperwork, then the person who takes the security alarm off the baby's leg. We just did everything to get home as soon as possible. Then it was ticking boxes re midwife visits and health visitor. Simple, reliable admin handover from hospital to community services eludes these harried teams. You end up managing your own care.

Done, it's just reminded me I never want to be on a post natal ward again!

I have completed this survey but I feel my antenatal care was shocking in comparison to my post natal care.

The survey doesn't cover care if you had independent midwives...not sure if that is deliberate or not IE my NHS care was poor but my private midwives were amazing....

Completed.

Brought back horrible memories of post-natal care.

Not enough staff to help me lift newborn out of crib that was very high off the ground when the bed was an old manual bed and very close to floor. Then he was very jaundiced and struggled to latch on. Staff couldn't give me the time to encourage feeding.

Being told I had a low pain threshold even though I'm allergic to the usual anti-inflammatories they used and no alternative was offered except paracetamol and one day of tramadol. Despite other hospitals using patient controlled analgesia post csection.

I asked to be discharged 20 hours post c-section. My community midwife really helped me the most was so glad to see her.

done. My experience was if you had partner/family to help, you were ok. If not, you were screwed. So I was screwed.

Netural, mnhq?

Done.

Done. My answers would have been very different if done for DC1!

I notice a lot of us are saying we've had a better recent experience with a subsequent child than with our first DC. Do you all think this is because the service has improved, or because second time mums are treated better, perhaps because we are more assertive second time around? In my case I think I had better treatment mostly because I had a home birth and avoided the post natal ward entirely! But I did also feel that second timers were treated with a bit more respect.