Advice for impending caesarean?

jellyhead

i turned up late that day, so to begin i thought maybe the other women in the ward had made the mess, then noticed it was under my bed too and we got chatting. one of the husbands complained constantly but it was 2 days later that the floor was swept, after i was found hunting in cupboards looking for a brush, i wanted to sweep the floor myself. we all filled in complaint forms about it. after my baby had been born i was put into a different ward room (it was clean) and i watched a cleaner sorting out the bed opposite me, one girl had gone home and another was coming to use the bed - she did a very thorough job but it seems that things only get cleaned when the cleaners are asked to clean them - they are told which bed area to clean and they do it. the ward was L shaped and i noticed that one corridor of the L was cleaned all the time but our corridor never saw a cleaner. perhaps ours was off sick or on holiday. while we were in the first room waiting to be induced our visitors complained about the stains on the floor too, every day they would ask the midwives why the floor hadn't been swept or mopped yet but the midwives didn't seem able to do anything about it, they were very busy. when my baby got a temperature and rash i worried about him having MRSA but it was just a heat rash. they cleaned the second room quite a lot, perhaps they give priority to the rooms with babies in them, and don't think it matters how dirty the pregnant womens rooms are.

flikkerty

Have just ordered my string pants! Am considering the MRSA stuff after these tales! Will go into town next week and get some eye shades - all good stuff.
The baby feels like a huge spider trying to crawl out of a bag of south american bananas... I feel ready to burst!

pdoff

anyone got any discount codes for nct for cheaper string pants? actually just realised is a charity so shouldn't be stingy with them!

Gingham_Ribbon

I was admitted to hospital a few times during my pregnancy and the wards were hit and miss. Some were cleanish, one had a trail of blood on the floor to the toilet for 2 days and one smelled of excrement the whole time.

However, the maternity part of the hospital was spotless. There always seemed to be a cleaner sweeping, mopping, wiping etc. It was lovely.

I had to stay in for a week because both my son and I had infections (not linked to the section) He also had jaundice. When it was time to leave, I remember sitting on the edge of the bed and bursting into tears saying, 'I'm a little overwhelmed actually!' I hadn't wanted to have my son in hospital, but now it was time to go, I suddenly felt a bit wary of managing at home. When I got home though, my husband had put the Christmas tree up and everything was all cosy and lovely and it was perfect.

I'm remembering lots of lovely things reading this thread! Like the amazing chocolate pudding, and the apple crumble, mmm

margaretclare

Gingham_Ribbon wrote:

I was admitted to hospital a few times during my pregnancy and the wards were hit and miss. Some were cleanish, one had a trail of blood on the floor to the toilet for 2 days and one smelled of excrement the whole time.

If I get admitted to the orthpaedic ward (see the other thread that I started) and it stinks of excrement then I am definitely not going there until it's cleaned! There is absolutely no excuse for this at all.

I've just been talking about this kind of thing with my husband, and he says that if he ever has to go into hospital again he will definitely not keep quiet about the things that happened to him. Having someone in the next bed who was too lazy to press his own call-bell and waking him up: 'Barry - Barry - will you press your buzzer and call the nurse for me?' Being woken at midnight by a doctor standing at the foot of his bed asking him what kind of insulin he's on. Ward lights left on until 11.30 pm and he got out of bed and went to turn the whole lot off, then had an argument because he shouldn't have done it.

And so on, and on...

Aunty Margaret

Mumstheword

Hi, best wishes for whenyou have your baby, xxx

A pillow is fab for the journey home, in between your seatbelt and your tummy it stops the belt rubbing and the jelly wobble when you go over a bump.

If you have a GA, you'll have a tickly cough afterwards, so the pillow would be useful then too (wish someone had told me that before!)

My recovery from CS was as quick as from a vaginal birth, and I was driving after a week and a half. I used my friend's doctor's advise following a hysterectomy, that when she could slam her foot down without excrutiating pain, she was fine to drive, and my doctor and insurance company and the DVLA all gave me clearance.

The area around the scar will feel numb afterwards - very odd to scratch it when you think it itches, but then not be able to feel the scratching! This is normal, because the nerve endings have been messed about, but it feels very weird. Even 3 years later, I don't have full feeling back where the scar is, but having got used to that it doesn't feel weird any more.

The morphine on tap made me feel sick so I asked them to remove it and got by on painkillers. Of course it hurt, especially first thing in the morning when you've been in the same position for a few hours, and of course you then wake up bursting for a wee, unable to move at more than a snail's pace, and with a screaming baba wanting you!! But that just proves that the more you move about, the easier it is to remain mobile without pain!

I would recommend CS to anyone, but won't be having another. After 3 babies, I've finally realised I'm a proper wuss and won't be having any more! tee hee

Destiny33

Mumstheword wrote:

I would recommend CS to anyone, but won't be having another. After 3 babies, I've finally realised I'm a proper wuss and won't be having any more! tee hee

Hee hee now you made me giggle thank you

After 3 kids i think you deserve a medal my wee one is ill and just in bed and i'm shattered, one is enough for me lol so thank you xxx

Counting_Pennies_2

Another tip for all those who are going to be staying in a hospital that has those annoying tv/radio/telephone screens that come over your bed on an arm.

If they are run by the same company the Royal Berkshire Hospital has the tvs are programmed to come on at 6am. Not funny if you only got to sleep at 5am.

The tip I have for you is to put on a radio station (which is free and has a black screen) but turn the sound down. The tv will think it is already on so when it goes to turn on at 6am it won't change the screen you have running and no shocking noise or bright lights will wake you up.

(Just the painkiller round 30 minutes later!!!)

mrbadexample

This might be useful for me.....I have a friend who will almost certainly have to have a caesarian at the end of the month. She's on her own, but I'd like to help her if I can.

I'm a very blokey bloke, so I understand not at all. What can I do for her:

a) over the coming month
b) afterwards?

ANY help would be very much appreciated.

Thanks,

MBE

Counting_Pennies_2

mrbadexample wrote:

What can I do for her:

a) over the coming month
b) afterwards?

In the run up help towards making food for the freezer, or remind her to get her favourite ready meals in for the freezer. Buy her the string pants (I recommended earlier) a fantastic invention.

Afterwards, I would say be there for her. If she doesn't have a partner to help her, offer to pop round to make an evening meal. Clean and iron (if that isn't your thing rope someone in who can). Offer her the chance for time out, I remember feeling liberated getting out for an hour on my own to pop into the shops a few weeks after the birth while my hubby looked after my baby. Be about when she wants to have a sleep and offer to hang about in house while baby sleeps so she can too.

I also felt very vulnerable (wobbly and faint) on the first few days and nights I got home, so if you can be there as much as possible that too will help.

Encourage her to meet up with other new mums to share experiences.

Also writing a feeding baby/drug chart for mum works a treat. You are very disorientated when you get home, so writing down what time baby ate, had a nappy change, mum had her drugs and what they were is a really helpful thing to have.

Doing whatever you can to be supportive, it sounds like you are already.