Breast Feeding in Hospital.

nickyhutch

Fair enough, Tired Mom, but why should it be free? Should you not be paying for it?

Zziggi

nickyhutch wrote: »

Fair enough, Tired Mom, but why should it be free? Should you not be paying for it?

Hospital doesn't have to provide food for the baby (it is receiving breastmilk) so mother could have the baby's rations?

If I know maternity wards & midwives.... tell them you'll swap to bottle feeding if they don't feed you and you'll soon get food.

I thought it was a national guideline to provide food for breastfeeding mothers (specifically breastfeeding mothers with a baby under 1 year). In my local hospital I was told that if I (as the breastfeeding mother) or the breastfed baby needed admitting to hospital for any reason, then we would both be "admitted" and fed.

diddyangel

nickyhutch wrote: »

I'm afraid I don't understand this. The NHS should be paying for meals for people who aren't patients, who aren't ill, just because they are staying at the hospital to feed their babies? The NHS is stretched to the absolute limit. Go to the canteen, or get a friend or relative to bring you food in. You'd be paying for it if you were home.

I'm sorry, I know that sounds harsh, but really, the little money available should be used to care for ill people.

By the mother feeding the baby the hospital are not paying for pre packaged ready to drink bottles of milk for the child.... that money could go towards feeding the mother who at a highly stressful time is away from home, family, friends and is having to stay as strong as possible for her child. What would happen if the mother became ill either physically and mentally exhauseted as a result of this situation, what cost would that put on the NHS then? Yes it would cost the NHS money, but to help the child recover what cost is that? Money well spent if you ask me.

From personal experience I know how extremely stressful a hospital stay is, and how expensive it is. Parking at hospitals is VERY expensive - as is buying food from the shop/cafe on site everyday. Not to mention the costs for family/friends who come to visit, petrol, parking it all adds up. At a time when the mother should be focussed on her child and helping them recover she should not be worrying about cooking a meal or leaving her child to go food shopping.

I'm guessing from your unhelpful comment that you have been lucky enough to have healthy children who haven't needed to stay in hospital. I just wish we could all be as lucky as you and that you won't suffer the pain it causes in future, although perhaps then you will realise how ignorant that coment was.

thatgirlsam

when i went to A&E with my son they fed me ,, and he was not breastfeeding , he was 3 at the time , i was too stressed to eat but they did give me food as i was there a long time

i work in maternity and of course we feed all mums there , BF or FF

not dads though which they find very unfair and we get lots of dads moaning about it .

if we have ladies staying in family rooms near the neonatal unit then they come up to the ward for food , we have a list of ladies and if they don't come at the correct time we save them something

Katgoddess

I posted a message on facebook asking the question for you. Apparently Medway hospital provides food vouchers (I assume for the canteen?) for bfing mothers whose babies are in the special care unit.

Also try St Mary's Paddington, London.

nickyhutch

diddyangel wrote: »

By the mother feeding the baby the hospital are not paying for pre packaged ready to drink bottles of milk for the child.... that money could go towards feeding the mother who at a highly stressful time is away from home, family, friends and is having to stay as strong as possible for her child. What would happen if the mother became ill either physically and mentally exhauseted as a result of this situation, what cost would that put on the NHS then? Yes it would cost the NHS money, but to help the child recover what cost is that? Money well spent if you ask me.

From personal experience I know how extremely stressful a hospital stay is, and how expensive it is. Parking at hospitals is VERY expensive - as is buying food from the shop/cafe on site everyday. Not to mention the costs for family/friends who come to visit, petrol, parking it all adds up. At a time when the mother should be focussed on her child and helping them recover she should not be worrying about cooking a meal or leaving her child to go food shopping.

I'm guessing from your unhelpful comment that you have been lucky enough to have healthy children who haven't needed to stay in hospital. I just wish we could all be as lucky as you and that you won't suffer the pain it causes in future, although perhaps then you will realise how ignorant that coment was.

It wasn't intended to be helpful or otherwise - it's just my opinion. Please don't presume that I haven't had to spend time visiting very poorly people in hospital. That's simply not true, and nothing to do with this discussion. I too know how stressful and expensive a hospital stay is.

I'm also of the opinion that the hospital shouldn't pay for formula feed for well babies either. I don't have a problem with food for Mum and baby being provided, just with it being free. When my OH is in hospital next time with his heart condition (at just 40), should I get meals when I'm there all day and night with him? I'm focussed on my OH just like a Mum is focussed on her baby.

mrcow

nickyhutch wrote: »

I'm afraid I don't understand this. The NHS should be paying for meals for people who aren't patients, who aren't ill, just because they are staying at the hospital to feed their babies? The NHS is stretched to the absolute limit. Go to the canteen, or get a friend or relative to bring you food in. You'd be paying for it if you were home.

I'm sorry, I know that sounds harsh, but really, the little money available should be used to care for ill people.

Have you ever been in hospital with a baby before?

You can't leave their side. You don't go home. You don't do anything but sit with them - all day and all night.

It's one of the most awful experiences I've ever had (and I've had a few).

I don't think you've thought your comments through very well. It's not that you're harsh, just perhaps that you've never been there.

mrcow

nickyhutch wrote: »

When my OH is in hospital next time with his heart condition (at just 40), should I get meals when I'm there all day and night with him? I'm focussed on my OH just like a Mum is focussed on her baby.

But you'll be going home at the end of visiting hours.......

diddyangel

nickyhutch wrote: »

When my OH is in hospital next time with his heart condition (at just 40), should I get meals when I'm there all day and night with him? I'm focussed on my OH just like a Mum is focussed on her baby.

If he is so unwell/incoherant/distressed that you can't leave his side then yes you should. It will aid his recovery and keep you well and strong enough to support him. For mothers/fathers/partners of severely sick people I think this is a no brainer. The last thing you need to concern yourself with is where your next meal will come from/how you can afford it on top of everything else.

When I was in labour in hospital for over 24 hours the midwives fed my partner - being first timers we totally underestimated how long these things take and he didn't pack enough food and drinks in the hospital bag:rotfl:

I don't expect visitors to be fed free of charge either - that is at the discretion of the PCT, but a breastfeeding mother of a sick inpatient newborn is very different to a mother of an inpatient teenager, for example. The breastmilk will surely aid the recovery of the child and therefore the hospital should encourage, help and support this? No?

tarajayne

Please don't turn this thread into an arguement. The point being in order to get baby well quicker, BF is the best way to do this as it is gentle on her tummy as she's had a tummy operation. DD lives over 100 miles away from this hospital and so do I. I cannot take meals in as it is too far. She is staying now in a house across the road from the hospital and unlike an average newborn her little girl can only take very small amounts (6mls) milk at a time. She is now latching on and DD has been asked to go in every 2hrs, even through the night. Without being fed she has no hope of keeping up a good supply!