Kings - partners staying overnight FEEDBACK

[ae]

I gave birth via emergency Caesarian at Kings last Thursday morning and was transferred to WG a few hours later. Despite the fact that I was pretty much immobile and in serious pain as well as exhausted from 48 hours of failed induction, my hubby went home at 10 because we thought the trial of dads staying was over. Apparently the family in the next cubicle didn't get the memo. They were incredibly loud all night, waking me and my baby up several times.

By lunchtime the next day I was hysterical from pain, lack of sleep and the noise from this family (including a toddler that kept running into my cubicle - with me half naked and with catheter bag and all) and it was affecting my ability to feed my wee one, so eventually I was moved to a side room because despite several midwives asking them to keep the noise down they didn't.

Hubby stayed overnight with me from then on, and I couldn't have managed without him.

Despite the inconsiderate people next to me at first, I think that it's really important for the option to remain for partners to stay overnight - so long as they're considerate and follow the rules. I'd probably have been in a lot longer than the three days if my hubby hadn't been around to help and encourage me.

Oh, and ::o to the couple trying for the next one on the ward!

[jollybaby]

Congratulations Ae - hope things are going a bit more smoothly for you now. I agree that the success of this is completely dependent on people being considerate of others. I don't think that kings are strict enough in enforcing their visiting policy. When I was being induced on the antenatal ward, they moved a young girl who had just given birth to the bed opposite me. At one point she had 15 visitors! There I was mid contraction on all fours and new visitors kept coming behind my curtain. This definitely wasn't part of my birth plan.

We're currently deciding whether to leave east dulwich and move to Kent. If I do go on to have another - the local hospital has just been rebuilt and is all single rooms . . . A big tick in the 'for' box!!

[Fly]

I'm on William garrat now (antenatal bit) and have had 4 hours sleep in 48 hours mainly due to inconsiderate lady with multiple partners talking all day and all night. Can't imagine how I'd cope if I'd just had a baby. The midwives need to be stricter.

[jollybaby]

Hope you had a better night last night!

[Fly]

Yes thanks. She went home last night.

[QueenMab]

I was in Kings 3 months ago and had a c-section birth. My partner stayed over which was helpful the first night, although I would say if I hadn't been immobile due to c-section I'd have been fine without him there; the staff were very helpful. I would say you would both sleep better if your partner goes home for the evening as s/he will only be slumped in a chair or on the floor. However everyone's experiences are different; it's great to have the option.

[tommy]

OP - have PM'd you re rooms at Kings

And just to confirm, partners can stay overnight (was there last week)

[amydown]

And can I just check whether it would be possible to request a private room and pay? King's maternity unit comes up as one of the hospitals with private units when I googled it but when I had No.1 there couple of years ago, you couldn't get a private room by paying for it. Due to have c-section and hubby is very tall so would be nice if he could get a decent-ish sleep whilst looking after me and No.2.....

[Lochie]

Hi Amy, I have a friend who had a private c section at kings and i visited her in a private room paid for by her medical insurance (cs was due to health reasons so covered by private med insurance). The line from kings was you can never secure a room in advance - preference always goes to those with priority needs eg poorly mums after birth or those with traumatic births/ still born. My friend ended up in a private room because there were no severe needs on the ward at the time, otherwise she would have had to have stayed on main ward.

I think this is the policy across the board in the nhs.... I didn't give birth in kings but secured a private room after birth at the hospital I was in simply because it happened to be free. The charge was about ?100 a night from what I remember but they never charged me because i checked in about 3am so not a full night.

I'm due to give birth with baby 2 in feb and would love private room like u but not banking on it to avoid disappointment!

[KatsuQueen]

Thanks everyone for the feedback, PMs and very useful information. Totally understand why the rooms can't be booked in advance, I will have to have a serious think about whether or not we can pay ?150 (?) a night IF they are free. I have limited health insurance through work, and won;t be covered as it is a "planned caesarian" according to their rules.

What I'm hoping is that MrK can stay for the first night or two, and then I will be OK on my own if I still need to stay. We should have some help with my nearly 3 year old, so fingers crossed he will be able to get some sleep at home during the day. But, frankly when it comes to childbirth...the best made plans...etc etc...Just want TinyKatsu to be delivered safely, that's the main thing.

[ClareC]

I asked about this when I had a C Section there in May. There are side rooms available on a need basis. If one is free they will let you have it despite not needing it as such.

The private rooms are for private patients, you are not able to pay for them. To have one of these rooms you have to pay privately for your csection.

I was on a ward which was fine, far better than I expected although I did make sure I only spent one night there. My partner didn't stay but the staff were fantastic, couldn't fault them.

[tor]

I've had one of the side rooms both times I've had a baby but then I've had two hideous births - one with my baby rushed to special care straight after birth and one with me needing internal reconstructive surgery immediately after birth. The only positive I can possibly take out of my experiences is that I've never spent a night on the main ward!

[scareyt]

I spent 4 weeks in William Gilliat when my baby was born - 2 weeks beforehand with preeclampsia and 2 weeks after with my blood pressure still way too high and him in special care. I was in a side room in the antenatal bit beforehand which was lovely, then had a c section followed by 3 nights of no sleep in the post natal ward surrounded by other people's crying babies (and the odd hideous partner!) while my baby was upstairs and I was trying to express milk for him every 3 hours. It was horiffic and after I lost the plot in the corridor by the midwives station on day 4 they moved me back to a side room in antenatal where all the midwives were lovely and then things got a whole lot better. I had asked straight away after the birth about a private room but I think I was just unlucky with the timing / didn't seem desparate enough at first. So if they say there are no free side rooms and you are desparate it's worth finding out if there are any free in antenatal. And/or crying a lot. Once I was in that room they let me stay as long as I wanted which was wonderful and my baby ended up being discharged from special care on day 12 to spend another 2 nights with me in that room being monitored by the antenatal midwives before we both went home together. Agree about the bathrobe cord tip post c section - that was a lifesaver!

[sillywoman]

ClareC Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I asked about this when I had a C Section there in

> May. There are side rooms available on a need

> basis. If one is free they will let you have it

> despite not needing it as such.

>

> The private rooms are for private patients, you

> are not able to pay for them. To have one of these

> rooms you have to pay privately for your csection.

>

>

> I was on a ward which was fine, far better than I

> expected although I did make sure I only spent one

> night there. My partner didn't stay but the staff

> were fantastic, couldn't fault them.

Yes, though even paying doesn't guarantee a room - or so my midwife friends tells me. If all the rooms are needed by women with greater need (poorly Mums, poorly babies or multiples) then a private patient could well find themselves on the ward with everyone else!

[midivydale]

I have just spent 4 nights at the William Gilliatt ward (antenatal) and I could have given my right arm for a private room. It was intense to say the least. I have to say that the social problems aside (at times I felt I was on a live show of Jeremy Kyle) the care that I and my bump received was outstanding. From consultants to midwifes and nurses the compassion, experience and care that I received has been excellent and I have a new found respect for everyone who works there. With regards to the private rooms, I was told they really are there for the people that need them the most but if available you can ask for them. I got very teary one night when I was kept up for the second night running by inconsiderate patients (and their "birthing partners") and the lovely midwife moved me straight away at 4 am after my mini meltdown. She firmly grabbed my hand and moved me to another room, when she checked on me minutes later I was sound asleep :)

I also feel very much reassured about the birth itself given that I have experienced the care of the staff already. My partner was offered to stay as well and he was treated to endless cups of tea and biscuits by the lovely midwives.

[Countjc]

I was lucky to get a private/individual room when I had my son last April but I think I was considered 'high risk' as came in a wheelchair and hadnt walked for a month prior to my c-section. They and I had no idea what I would be like after delivery and my husband is quite a big chap and I think they wanted him around in case I still needed to be lifted.

Infact as soon as the spinal block wore off, I was able to walk, if a little gingerly.

The hospital was so full the first night- something like 52 mums and babies and only 4 midwives and the rest health care assistants. It was mental and all our medications were delayed so was good having husband to chase up my pain relief.

I am due again next year and it's good to know that partners can stay over on the main wards although my husband is a snoring and I don't think I could put the other poor women through that!

Just as an aside, I am hoping for a VBAC but if I have to have another C-section due to my hips/pelvis collapsing, my health insurance will pay for private but I am wondering if there is any point as I think private really pays off in the after care, i.e. getting your own room and if that isn't always the case, as sillywoman says, then maybe it's not worth it. Does anyone have any thoughts? thanks.

[ClareC]

Def worth checking. I was advised the private rooms were private only, never used for NHS patients. Sillywoman, are you referring to the NHS single rooms or the hotel like double bedder private rooms?

[sillywoman]

Well, to be honest I'm not sure - I'll check back with my source, but from what she said I was lead to believe that there were no absolutely 'private' rooms - and that even those paying for their care might find themselves on the wards if circumstances dictated. I'll go away and pick her brains more precisely then report back.

[buggie]

Think there's a bit of confusion between side rooms (which offer privacy) and private rooms (which are paid for).

As far as I'm aware, there aren't private maternity rooms... There is a private patients ward (which are the only private beds I'm aware of) but this is in a different wing to all of the maternity services and not staffed by midwives.

Especially as the reason for staying in being that yourself or your baby are needing further care/observation incase something untoward happens I don't think I'd want to be so far away from where midwives/neonates/gyne are based.

[KatsuQueen]

feedback posted above.