Breast Feeding in Hospital.

nickyhutch

mrcow wrote: »

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.

Yes, I have, for a week. I was there as a patient recovering from a section for a week.

Other people could bring food in, I'm sure.

nickyhutch

diddyangel wrote: »

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?

Yes of course they should, but I don't agree that they should pay for it. Provide it, fine, but bill us for it after the event. How to afford it? You'd be affording it if you were at home.

nickyhutch

mrcow wrote: »

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

No, I don't usually.

diddyangel

Also, parents of sick babies/children tend to have a bed next to the child on the hospital ward. You don't leave the ward and access is allowed 24hours there is no restriction on visiting like on the adult wards. I can't tell my 6 year old I'm going for dinner I'll be back in half an hour. I eat at the bedside or I don't eat.

We are admitted with her, and leave with her at the end of the stay. They provide a bed, toilet, shower, drinks - do you think this is also wrong?

money_maker_3

Oh for crying out loud !! The OP did not start this thread for people to discuss whether or not people SHOULD be fed or not !! She is asking which hospitals do so that she can send the information to the PALS department of the hospital in question !! If you want to discuss the principles behind it, start another thread instead of hijacking a perfectly acceptable one !!

Tara, I hope you get the responses you need xx

nickyhutch

No, I don't. The bed, toilet and shower are already there, aren't they? They aren't costing more just because you're using them. And of course you need to be there with your daughter - I'm sorry she's ill.

I have NO PROBLEM with the food being provided, my issue is with it being provided for free. That's all.

I'm sorry I've kicked off an argument. I work in the NHS and am increasingly frustrated by the amount of waste I see whilst hearing how hard up it is. There are so many ways they could cut on spending, and I see feeding people who aren't patients as one of them.

SugarSpun

The analogy of adults versus newborn babies doesn't work - the adult isn't dependent on his wife for nourishment in the way a breastfed infant is, and if a breastfeeding mother doesn't eat then her supply is compromised and so by extension is the health of the infant.

A sandwich or bowl of soup three times a day is significantly cheaper than specialised formula for newborns in any case, especially as in this baby's case an entire carton would be wasted for her 6ml every two hours.

Can we get back to which hospitals do and which don't provide food for breastfeeding non-inpatient mothers of infant newborns for now please? It's an interesting discussion but the hospital information is time-sensitive for the OP and her daughter and granddaughter and I'd hate for it to get lost because we're all mouthy boogers who can't resist an interesting debate

searching_me

as OP said she would like names on hospitals not an arugemet on the thread .. if this is why you're here then please leave this is to help all mothers BF there child in hospital x

LilacPixie

Ninewells in Dundee does not feed BF mothers who are not patients. A friend was in with her ill baby and we were taking it in turns to her (and him) up thermoses of warm food.

Glamazon

nickyhutch wrote: »

No, I don't. The bed, toilet and shower are already there, aren't they? They aren't costing more just because you're using them. And of course you need to be there with your daughter - I'm sorry she's ill.

I have NO PROBLEM with the food being provided, my issue is with it being provided for free. That's all.

I'm sorry I've kicked off an argument. I work in the NHS and am increasingly frustrated by the amount of waste I see whilst hearing how hard up it is. There are so many ways they could cut on spending, and I see feeding people who aren't patients as one of them.

I work in the NHS too and think that the money they spend on useless managers is far more than that of feeding a small number of BF mums who are staying at the hospital to care for a sick child. Sack a few managers and feed the people who need it.

Would YOU pay for that crap that they call food anyway? I certainly wouldn't!