Spinoff: Do you like the hospital? - Page 4

[Gumby]

HATE hospitals.

[josybear]

i love one of the hospitals in this city. it has a big, private birthing tub, for starters. a million times better than my bathtub at home. then there's the birthing suites - a hotel room-sized room with a pull out chair thing for dh t osleep in, a big window, a cd player, the works. full rooming in. i lost a lot of blood and couldn't stand after the birth so the nurses changed all ds' dipes. i never once had to deal with meconium. one night ds just wanted to cry and cry - my milk had switched over and he didn't like the change and there was nothing i could do about it. after trying and trying to soothe him i was getting desperate and needed to sleep soooo badly. an angelic nurse came and offered to walk him aound so i could nap. she took him and the nurses at the nursing station played with him while i slept. when i'd had some rest and he'd built up an appetite he was willing to try my strange new milk.
the day after ds was born i went into shock from blood loss. i stopped breathing. if i'd been at home i would have died.

the cons - the food is awful and cosleeping is not allowed. one nurse was awful, the others were amazing.

all in all i loved it. this time 'round i'm bringing bath bombs to put in the birthing tub...

[~pi]

No, I did not enjoy our hospital stay. It wasn't horrible in the way some people describe (food, lack of sleep) but I really just wanted to get HOME.

The one nice thing about the hospital was the easy access to a breastfeeding clinic with great LCs just down the hall from the postpartum unit. They helped save our breastfeeding relationship after a rough start in the NICU.

[mamabain]

nope, hated it.

couldn't get any rest since they were checking vitals every 4 hours. had to watch my baby like a hawk so procedures weren't done. bed was uncomfortable, food sucked.

the comparison from my homebirth and hospital birth is apples to oranges, for sure. the loveliness of being in my own bed surrounded by my oldest child and hubby in a peaceful, undisturbed environment, that is immeasurable.

[~*~MamaJava~*~]

I'm a little weird in that I kind of *like* hospitals but I think that's just because they're terribly interesting. There's so much to investigate and look at and always something happening and I'm a curious person.

That being said, I really wanted to like being in hospital postpartum and tried to like it.

No luck there.

I stayed in for 4 days after both ds's were born, since I delivered in a small hospital and they like to make sure everything is really, really okay. I do think that's kind of nice - especially for first time moms - because once you're home, you're on your own (if you don't have a midwife around).
BUT I got hardly any sleep. Nurses woke me and the baby up every 2 hrs or so at night. Frequent nursing is good, but if a healthy baby is sleeping for pete's sake leave it alone. Then it was hard to sleep during the day for all the visitor traffic, nurse traffic, cafeteria people...that was the worst. The tray clattering in at 7 AM.
And the breastfeeding help was pathetic. They were insistent on 'helping' but it had to do with forcing me to use uncomfortable complicated holds, a lot of boob-grabbing and positioning by the LC nurse, and always the watching. Watching me nurse, checking my latch...again, probably helpful but done in a really invasive manner. Then with my 3rd baby, where I left after 12 hours, a nurse tried to force me to breastfeed a konked-out non-hungry baby for 45 minutes. And treated me like I had no clue what I was doing. Um, this is my third baby, thanks, I may be young, but I'm not stupid.

It's hard to deal there as an informed mama because they have to cater to the lowest common denominator. They have to. So we get very little respect, because they have to catch the mamas that might fall thru the cracks with bfing and baby care and all that.

[Storm Bride]

Originally Posted by ~*~MamaJava~*~

Nurses woke me and the baby up every 2 hrs or so at night. Frequent nursing is good, but if a healthy baby is sleeping for pete's sake leave it alone.

:

They were insistent on 'helping' but it had to do with forcing me to use uncomfortable complicated holds, a lot of boob-grabbing and positioning by the LC nurse, and always the watching. Watching me nurse, checking my latch...again, probably helpful but done in a really invasive manner.

I know exactly what you mean. I actually didn't find it helpful at all. I was so tense trying to nurse ds1 that I'm amazed he got anything. Then, with both dd and ds2, the nurses kept pushing the football hold at me. I told them over and over that I know the football hold is more comfortable for many moms after a c-section, but it just does not work for me. They just wouldn't drop it. Every time they came in and I was feeding the baby, it was "the football hold is easier after a c-section" - even after I'd told the same nurse five times that it doesn't work for me. IT was just soooo frustrating. What really bugged me was that they were pushiest with ds2...my third baby, and the only one I had absolutely no trouble with right from the start. I just wanted them to let us be.

I also got hassled for refusing the community health nurse visit. Ugh.

[BugMacGee]

I enjoyed my hospital experiences. I spend a significant amount of my time in a hospital because I work in one. For me it's seemed pretty homey . I was very glad to have the time post partum with DD#2. I had a very rambunctious 2.5 year old at home and it gave us some time to get to know each other just mom and babe. The PP RN's and even the LC's were very hands off but were available if I needed them. We got a fabulous BF'ing relationship established before adding another child into the mix.

As soon as we got home, every time I would BF DD#2, DD#1 would come and jump on the bed. Not fun with sore nipples.

[stormborn]

I hated it but they weren't to blame. It just wasn't home. Not my bed, my stuff, my smell.

Oh and I'm really not a social person, so having that many people around skeeved me out. Plus I'm nocturnal so having to sleep at night threw me off.

So I'll be birthing at home next time.

[MysteryMama]

I liked my postpartum stay. The maternity wing at my hospital was just renovated, so it's all nice and new. I had my own room and there was a couch for dh to sleep on. I liked that the bed went up and down. I liked the "wand thing" in the bathroom. Although I did not put ds in the nursery, I did like that once a night a nurse would come and get him and take him to be bathed so I could have have a guaranteed rest for a couple hours. I liked the food, and I liked having someone bring it to me and come take away all the mess later. I like being able to push a button and have an ice pack for my perinium or a vicodan sent to me.

While in the hospital for those first couple days, I feel like that's my REAL rest/recovery period. During that time, I don't have to get out of bed much. But once I get home, even though I try to continue to take it as easy as possible the first week or two, it's not the same. My only bathroom is upstairs and the kitchen is downstairs, so I find myself trekking up and down my steep stairs. And even though for the most part I let the housework go, I still end up doing at least dishes and picking up all the new baby stuff constantly. Also this time around I'll already have a 25lb 1yo as well as a newborn, so I'll be caring for both of them once I get home.

I do think it's annoying and somewhat disruptive in the very beginning when you have a nurse running in your room every 1/2 hour or hour or whatever to check your pad and blood pressure, but all in all it still was pretty restful for me.

[MysteryMama]

Originally Posted by stormborn

Plus I'm nocturnal so having to sleep at night threw me off.

They made you sleep? How odd.

[lyttlewon]

Originally Posted by jeannie81

They made you sleep? How odd.

I had a scheduled induction so I checked in the night before. They tried to get me to take a sleeping pill but I don't respond well to sleeping pills. They really don't like you to stay up even if you can't sleep.

[carriebft]

I hated the hospital; reasons were:

1) pushing the usual medicalized birth

2) Asked me no less than 4 times if I wanted pieces of my child's penis cut off.

3) Uterine assault! (they insisted on pressing on my uterus--I told them the breastfeeding would contract the uterus and then another nurse went ahead and attacked again! They didn't stop doing this with every time they checked me until I had my husband ask for the rep and that made them stop!)

Then there was the worry that they would give formula any second the baby was out of my sight, the "breastfeeding success bag" with formula and how to wean in it, the rules about visitors, the risks of hospital infection....bleh, never again!

[Artisan]

Originally Posted by 3daughters

I did not enjoy being in the hospital at all.

I was lonely and bored. The bed was uncomfortable and crackled when I rolled over. There was constant light and noise in the hallway when I tried to sleep. They woke me up at 5:30 in the morning to take my temp and blood pressure. When I had afterpains they only gave me one Tylenol. I hated sharing a bathroom when I was bleeding so heavily. The food was terrible. My roommates husband stayed WAY passed visiting hours. I had to be presentable to leave my side of the room. I'm sure there is more...

I can't understand why women with uncomplicated births choose to stay for the full two days.

Same here, except my roommate had SOOO many visitors, it was unbelievable.

[sogriffin]

My 1st dd was born in the hospital.

I can classify my feelings as "unsatisfactory"
It was yucky, but not any worse then what it normally is. It was a typical experience.

I have mixed feelings about my hospital birth. Should I blame the hospital for doing what hospitals do?
Mostly I'm mad at myself for not taking my birth seriously. I was the one that chose to accept what is "normal" and without any questioning, I followed the other preggos to the L&D factory

At least I figured things out in time for my 2nd birth.

A hospital is no place for healthy people

[ericswifey27]

Loathed it.

1) They did procedures to me without my consent.

2) They did procedures to my son without my consent.

3) They did not encourage me. They told me I was not making progress when in fact I was.

4) I was not allowed to eat, for a total of 36 hours or so. The one sympathetic nurse who snuck me jello was reprimanded.

4) They undermined my wishes for a natural birth at every opportunity.

5) They lied to me and told me I needed a csection.

6) They did not allow me to touch or hold my baby right away. Everyone else got to.

7) They put me in a recovery room all by myself and ignored my pleas to see my baby.

8) When finally I was brought to my room to see my son, the nurses came in every 1/2 hour either for me or the baby. I did not sleep and I was starving.

9) I needed help and no one answered when I buzzed for help for 30 minutes.

10) The nurse who came in to check the baby had 1 inch long fingernails and I could just imagine all the bacteria stuck under her fingernails:

[Lauren82]

I hate hospitals and I was one of the lucky ones to have the super posh hotel style room complete with the 5 course meal. We have a local hospital that not only has the posh rooms, but will send a massage therapist and hair/makeup stylist to your room to fix you up.

So, the posh hotel style room does not replace the fact that:

The hospital staff treated me like I was an uneducated sheep

It seemed every attempt was made to sabotage my breastfeeding relationship

I was poked and prodded constantly and argued with no matter what I requested for me or the baby

Several attempts were made to take the baby to the nursery because the nurses were in shock that I was bathing/changing/feeding the baby ALL BY MYSELF! *gasp* I even managed to shower and use the toilet with the baby right with me!

This time around I'm going to a freestanding birth center. I will be able to go home just a few hours after having the baby. The midwives ASK ME what I'd like instead of arguing with me or telling me what to do.

[gcgirl]

Originally Posted by ericswifey27

Loathed it.
10) The nurse who came in to check the baby had 1 inch long fingernails and I could just imagine all the bacteria stuck under her fingernails:

Ack! Gross! No offense to nurses with long nails, but I'd rather not have one touch me or my child either. Short is the way to go - doesn't she ever have to put latex gloves on?

[MyBoysBlue]

I was fairly lucky with my hospital stay with DS1. I got to have a room to myself which was nice but they did keep coming in and checking on us but they did it in a nice way. Barely waking me up just enough to feel my stomach and ask if I was ok and peek at baby. I stayed for almost 4 days. I had no support at home as I went into labour early and my Mom had not arrived yet and DH had to work. I was in a small town hospital and I went into labour when the only LC there was on vacation. But since I stayed so long she got back the day I was leaving and the day my milk came in so she was great. I remember her spending a lot of time with me that last day.

Even though I had a good hospital stay, I enjoyed my UC recovery much more. I got to take a herbal bath right after the baby was born. Got all snuggled up with DS in my own warm soft bed with plenty of pillows. Then DH made me a sandwich and brought me some orange juice, I didn't have to wait until the next meal time. I barely got engorged because this time I was lying in bed with DS and letting him eat as much as he wanted. I had no one poking or prodding my body except myself.

[~Megan~]

Well, I rested at home. dh took care of everything for the first week and most of everything for weeks after.

I didn't rest well at the hospital at all. People coming in all the time to check my temperature or try to take my baby for things.

I don't think the possible extra rest would be worth the complications hospitals can create with normal births if there was actually additional rest to be found.

[crysmomofthree]

I have had 5 hospital births and my stays have been not enjoyable every time (I birthed at 5 different places)

baby 1 I was fine with my stay food was bad, don't remember much of the nurses left after 18 hours
baby #2 was preterm it was awful all around, I insisted on staying as long as I could (although it was awful) because it was better than driving 1 hr each way pp

baby #3 geriatric hospital its so old they had communal showers but I got a private room and my dh could stay

baby #4 the hospital was cleaner and I had my own shower

baby #5 I wanted to leave 24 hrs after he was born (really rough birth, Ideally I would have left immediately but my baby wasn't well) but they insisted I stay for another 24 hours

The food was bad at all the hospitals, the nurses for my last four births left me alone, I didn't like getting disapproving looks for refusing the bath, I didn't like that the nurses didn't want to bring me a breastpump it took forever every time I needed it (the last time I brought my own) I think its disgusting to expect post partum women who are bleeding alot to share a bathroom its sure not hygenic