your experience with hospital after giving birth

Melissa - posted on 04/27/2011

Mine was not so great...My nurse that helped me in the delivery room was great...then it was off and on depending on the nurse I got. I ended up having a c-seaction and the nurse that took care of me the first night was AMAZING!
I hadn't slept in 2 days and when I finally got to my room I was near the nurses office so during shift change which happened to be the only time my baby would sleep...I couldnt sleep because a party was going on next to me...I had a nurse that was a drill sargent...came prancing in my room wheather I was sleeping or not ...did you sign this did you take a shower yet when are you gonna take a shower oh you have to decide on this...on and on and on! It was brutal..then i had her again the next morning and paged her because I was in extream pain and it took 25 mins for someone to even respond...what if something had happened to my baby! I was livid! No one explained to me that ice was not good to use all the time...well I used it allday and night as it was the only thing that helped with the pain...a nurse told I shouldnt have done that after I left the hospital as it would not be good for healing! I then finaly got to move rooms well then they never told the photo people so I never got pictures of my first child after he was born....Oh I also had a baby that would not latch and it was so hard with no support or answers! I decided the last day to stay all day just to relax and I finally got a lactation speacialist that actually cared! The nurse however did not like that...she really didnt explain my at home meds clearly and when I got home I continued the med regin I did in the hospital well then I found out I almost overdosed on tylenol! It was not at all the experience I thought it would be!

Connie - posted on 04/27/2011

My first one was scary for the most part but it was ok! The second, my doctor had two interns following and they always were comming in and checking to see how far along I had dialated and that was the most irritating thing to me because I had opted to not get an epidural until later in labor. I had alot of bleeding with the first two kids because they were big boys. The third was a breeze he was tiny compared to the first two and the nurses were very polite but my doctor always seems to be going on vacation the day after or right after my delivery which kind of sucks but not that bad.. My fourth child was our girl and she was over 9 lbs and the hospital had a new tower built the yr before and the nurses were great before during and after and there was no checking for dilation until I was ready for my epidural at 8 cm but the olny bad thing is I was to nauseated to hold her after birth so they gave me some meds to help with that, and this time all her tests were done right in my room unlike the three previous times. They had all been done in the nursery, breast feeding was hard with the first one but as one can imagine it seems to get better the more kids you have! Daughter is almost 9 months old and still breast feeding....

April - posted on 04/27/2011

Oh...that was my "before the birth" story. My after the birth story is this: I didn't hold my son until he was about 2 hours old. I don't know what they were doing while they were putting me back together, but they left me open too long which allowed for a bunch of air to become trapped inside my body. The pain was excruciating. I was screaming. They weren't sure what was wrong, so they sent me down for an ultrasound, only they left me on the gurney for about 30 minutes outside the room. I was laying there incapacitated, waiting for someone/anyone to help. I kept calling for someone, but I was alone on my back in an empty hallway. When they found out what was wrong, they had a nurse come in and give me a suppository. It was so humiliating. A little while later, a nurse came and just undid my gown for breastfeeding. She didn't even ask if I was planning on nursing or bottle feeding! I am still nursing my son 2 years later and I knew I'd be feeding my son at the breast, but I still felt violated. Giving birth in the hospital was the most humilating experience of my life. I don't want to compare it to rape but I definitey felt violated in much of the same way that I did when I was molested as a child. Someone bigger than me forced me into something I did not want to do. This time around...they hospital was the "something bigger". They did things to me without asking and they made me feel bad about my body, just like that man when I was little.

April - posted on 04/27/2011

Well, if I have my way, I won't ever give birth in a hospital ever again. I didn't want pictocin..they gave me pictocin. I didn't want cervidil, they talked me into it. I didn't want to sign any papers, especially not the c-section one. I actually refused to sign but they talked to my husband and convinced him to talk me into it. They said it was "just in case something bad happened during labor and I wasn't in any shape to consent". They said signing the paper didn't mean I would have a csection, it was just a precaution. They lied. They NEEDED me to sign that paper because they KNEW they'd be doing a c-section. My baby wasn't due until January...he was removed by c-section on Dec. 22 for failure of labor to begin (even with the pictocin, cervidal) . When he came out, he looked like a friggin fetus that still needed cooking! Let me add that I had a beautiful, perfect pregnancy. No problems at all. There was NO REASON to induce so early, other than convenience for the docotor and her staff.

Tara - posted on 04/27/2011

My experiance was actually wonderful. My local hospital had a large donation some years back for their birthing center and they have done wonders with it. I never felt rushed or felt like I had over stayed my welcome. Everyone was very supportive and understanding because I asked about everything they did to both me and my baby and no one ever lost patience. You even get a massage the day after delivery... The only trouble I had was with the lactation consultant. I had a very old, gritty lady who was not very pleasent and I never felt comfortable with her. It wasn't until my last day that I got the nice lactation consultant and was able to go home feeling comfortable that we were doing things right with the whole breastfeeding thing.



BUT I have heard other women who delivered at the same hospital and they had horrible experiances and felt rushed or pushed to leave sooner than they would have liked. It seems that they profile you in a way... if you have insurance and are able to pay and probably if you are married/stable they treat you very well but if you don't fit that profile they tend to rush you out the door. It is unfortunate because every woman should have a wonderful experiance when giving birth.

Amanda - posted on 04/27/2011

With my first child I came in with my water broken, and contractions less than 2 minutes apart. The nurse there tried to send me home claiming I wasnt in labour! Thank god my mother was with me and insisted they check how many cms I was. The nurse went bug eyed when she realized I was already 8 cms along. After I gave birth 5 hours later they told me I could go home. I refused, I was 21 years old (not married), first time breastfeeding and wasnt sure of myself. Nurses barely visited me, the next day I went home since clearly I wasnt getting the support I needed in the hospital. Btw this child was so tonuge tied she wouldnt of been able to speak at all when she got older, this was not caught for another two months by medical people.

My second child was born in the ER, my ex rushed me to the ER when I realized I was much farther along then I expected. The doctor in the ER was great, he stood by myside the whole time. I dont recall going up to the materinty ward after giving birth, but I woke up 12 hours later asking where my son was. Thats right they held my son for 12 hours in the nursery even though it said on his chart he was breastfeed. My mother inlaw snapped on the nurses when they informed her that they kept my son because they thought Id like the rest. Pfft! I left that hospital that day and went home. I was 22 this time around, and not married.

My 3rd child, I got lucky and my nurse was an ex midwife. She was beside me the whole time. Being extremely helpful. After my daugther was born I got the upmost respect from the nurses, they didnt just stand there telling me what to do. Instead they wanted my opinions, and suggestions. For example my daughter would not stop crying for her hearing test. I suggested I go into the testing room and hold her, worked like a charm. I was 31 this time and married.

I truely believed I was treated so differently due to my age and the fact I wasnt married.

Shannon - posted on 04/26/2011

My first Child was born when i was 17, i had no problems with the my Dr or most of the staff but one nurse was extremely rude and she suctioned my daughter too harshly and popped a "hole" in her lung which led to my daughter being in the NICU for 8 days after she was born, the hospital has Lactation Support on staff for nursing mothers so they were able to get me set up with a pump while at the hospital and at home before my daughter was released. My second daughter was born at a hospital across town and we had absolutely no complaints, 3rd and 4th were both born by c-section at the same hospital my oldest was born at and i couldn't have been happier with how supportive they were my son (3rd child) was 5 weeks early and had complications and the entire NICU was very helpful, they answered all of my questions up front and honestly. They have the security tags that Amber spoke of, they even use the security on the pediatric floor. Wonderful experience all in all tho :-)

Deanna - posted on 04/26/2011

I didn't like it when they took my baby for any reason. I wanted her there with me period. I did understand about checkups and tests and all though. I actually would have preferred to have shorter stays but they were always nice and accomedating after I had each of my babies. :)

Valerie - posted on 04/26/2011

i think you need to be sure and fill out the hospital comment cards so they get some training going on there...it is not unusual for people to have your experience...customer care is lacking everywhere...you made it through it and now the question is how can you assist in improving the system...fill out comments...let your doctor and/or nurse know...you never know who will take the feedback and run with it to make improvements

Cassie - posted on 04/26/2011

Wow girl I am so sorry! Some hospitals are entirely too clinical when it comes to giving birth & not enough comfort for scared first time mothers. I was BEYOND terrified lol but luckily I had a few WONDERFUL nurses at my hospital. I had my son at St. Lukes Hospital here in Tx. My OBGYN was also my best friends OBGYN & our babies were delivered the same day just a few hours apart! :-) My son stayed in the same room with me the whole time I was there & they helped me with him any time I asked. Im so sorry that you had such a horrible experience & hopefully if you decide to have any more you will have a better go!

Georgia - posted on 04/26/2011

My experience both times was fantastic! My OB told me how it was all going to go down at our last appointment (both were inductions) and from the moment I arrived at the hospital to the day I left, I haven't got one complaint.

Some of the nurse/midwives were better than others, but all of them did their best to make sure you were comfortable and well looked after. I stayed an extra day each time and my OB would have signed off on more if I had wanted to stay longer.

Maybe my experience was different because I was in a private hospital? Even when I had to share a room for a night (there are only 2 two bed rooms on the maternity ward at the Wesley), the nurse apologised profusely and said they would get me out as quick as possible. I'm also glad the room you labour and deliver in is separate to the room you stay in. It is a mess after delivery and while I laid there for about an hour after birth (to feed and cuddle the still slimy baby), I wouldn't have wanted to stick around whilst they cleaned up.

The only requirement to be released from the hospital was that you had to have a bowel motion before they would release you.

Jenn - posted on 04/26/2011

My experiences were great! There was one nurse that I had once or twice with my first who was a bitch - she was just cold and rammy - but otherwise everyone was great, I didn't feel not welcome, I wasn't bugged too much - I really have no complaints.

Kelly - posted on 04/26/2011

Oh my, Karen! I can't believe they demanded you do paperwork as soon as they brought it--that stuff takes hours to read!!
All of our "paperwork" was placed in a folder on the inside of our door for us to read and fill out at our convenience. They did have to come into the room to deliver it b/c some of it was confidential and could not be left in the hall, but they usually just peeked in and dropped it in the folder.
They had administrative staff on hand to help with some of it, and you did have to wait for them some, they would come around once or twice a day to see if you needed help or collect what you had done.
I think I'd flip out on someone making me fill out birth forms in my exhausted state while looking over my shoulder--no wonder there are so many mistakes!

Karen - posted on 04/26/2011

Before and during delivery my experiences have been anywhere from great to just OK. But after delivery...ugh. I want to be left alone to rest and enjoy my baby but it seemed every 15 minutes someone was popping in from the hospital staff. It didn't matter that I'd been up for almost 48 hours, their paperwork just had to be done that very minute. I told my nurse that with my last baby and she put a sign on my door prohibiting anyone (even hospital staff) from entering.

My experience with nursing was anywhere from no help at all (with #1) to overbearing nurse who insisted I nurse even when baby was obviously not wanting to.

Having to share a room after delivery was horrible. I ended up leaving 4 hours after my babies were born to avoid that.

The worst, however, was discovering what the nurses say about their patients when they think we aren't listening. I was up and walking the halls quickly after my last baby and got strange looks from the nurses. If I needed something I didn't use the call button, I took the opportunity to stretch my legs and get my strength back. The nurses kept telling me to just use the button. I couldn't understand why they wouldn't be supportive of the patients getting out of bed until I walked up to the desk and their backs were turned. My nurse was on the phone (her back to me) and I heard her say, "There's this annoying mom of nine who insists on doing her own thing and won't listen to us!" I was shocked. I stood there until one nurse turned and saw me...her face went beet red. I had a small smile on my face which got bigger when my own nurse hung up the phone and saw me. She was busted. I was livid. I have never felt so violated as far as trust in my life. (I found out later that she was talking to my pediatrician who told her firmly to leave me alone!)

I love being in the hospital after having a baby but could definitely do without the nurses. So our compromise is that I leave right away but go to a hotel for two days so I can truly rest and not be told what to do or get in trouble for daring to "do things my own way".

Kaleigh - posted on 04/26/2011

I wished my hospital would have let me leave sooner, we were stuck there for a week because my son 'looked a little yellow' not that he had bad jaundice or anything. Poor communication on their part my doctor would come in take one look at my son and say we could leave the next day and then walk out, every morning this happened and it made me feel like they'd never let us leave until finally the doctor walked in walked out and the nurses gave me a few minutes to pack up and leave. I spent the rest of that day waiting in the waiting room with my son until someone could come pick me up since everyday I said "doc said I could leave tomorrow" and everyday they showed up but I couldn't leave...new mother that cried going home kinda deal. Other than that they were good, my OB and nurse were great, all the other ones were irritating though.

Charlie - posted on 04/26/2011

It was excellent , they were EVERYTHING I could have asked for and more !
They were very hands off and encouraged me the whole way gentley to just breath , they kept me for 5 days because my colostrum had not come in and they wanted to make sure we were both comfortable , had a great latch and most important lactating ...without their constant help I may never have breastfed Harry , I loved the fact they came to my room and helped me breastfeed because all I wanted to do was get it right.

Coopers birth was good too although a long labour no complaints AND they booked me in as private and couldnt change it at the last minute haha .

Oh and the OB who would pop in every now and then was HOT haha it was a nice distraction .

Erin - posted on 04/26/2011

My hospital experience was mixed. The birth itself was awful (asshole Dr, coerced into interventions, lied to about need for forceps) but my care during the post-natal period was excellent.

I was very ill, with a hemoglobin of 7.8, and couldn't get out of bed at all for 24hrs, and needed assistance for the first 48. I needed a blood transfusion, but because of my blood type (B neg) it took them until Day 4 to locate the blood for me. During that time I needed a lot of help and the nurses were great. They supported me physically and emotionally during my horrible recovery.

Amber - posted on 04/26/2011

I had a wonderful hospital experience, but Chad works at the hospital I gave birth at...so I know that I got special treatment.
The only bad moment was when a new mom and her SIL got into a fight in my doorway because the SIL said the baby didn't look like the dad. Security took them away quickly...but I was like "Hello, I'm in labor over here assholes!"

That being said, everybody that I know has loved their birthing experience at that hospital. They just completely remodeled the entire floor and everything is state of the art, esthetically pleasing, and comfortable.

Plus, the security they offer is amazing. Each newborn gets a monitored tag on their leg at birth, in front of the parents. If the baby goes near the exit, the OB locks down. If it's removed without the special key, the OB locks down. So, I knew our son was safe in his bassinet while we napped.

The nurses were warm and welcoming. They knew my birth plan and were really helpful with pain management without medication.

So, the hospital and staff were great....the crazy family down the hall...not so much :)

Kelly - posted on 04/26/2011

My hospital experience was great, but it could be that I was expecting the worst....
I had planned to birth at a local birthing center, but complications arose early in my pregnancy and we were forced to make plans to birth in a hospital with an onsite level III NICU (We ultimately birthed without need for the NICU, but I'm glad we were there just in case).

I had heard so many horror stories about the hospital--women forced to change rooms after labor and delivery, snarky nurses and absent doctors, but all went well for us.
My OB and midwife were present the entire time. I wanted an epi, but due to my son's heart rate dropping dramatically they advised against it. My private nurse and the midwife taught me on the spot breathing techniques to deal with the pain, in fact, the private nurse rarely left the room, other than fetching water and ice for me.

After the birth, I held him immediately, we did skin on skin, and he fed. He was taken briefly for some quick tests which were done in my room, right by my bed so that I could see. They washed him up (washing and testing took less than 5 minutes) and he was back in my arms, still skin on skin, for more breastfeeding. The nurse was very helpful with breastfeeding, she did squish my boob in his face, essentially, but she was gentle and he latched on the first time she did it (she showed me a finger thing to do to help him).

The new bed was brought in within the hour (mine was a mess and I wanted out of it) and we settled in for a rest--it was after 11pm and I had been laboring since 4am, so I was tired. My son, however, did not sleep. At first, the pediatrician thought I was just uneducated about the amount of sleep babies need, but my nurse stayed with me and watched him so she could talk to the pediatrician. Again, it fell on deaf ears, so she recommended another pediatrician and that one listened. This would be the beginning of a long battle, but it would have been a much harder battle if not for that nurse!

The wait staff was lovely, I never had to wait more than 5-10 minutes for food or drinks and they were very polite and prompt with clearing the finished plates--I hate staring at dirty dishes.

I did rip a tad so I had to get stitches and was very sore, but the nurses were always available to help me take a stroll through the courtyard or to pediatrics to visit with my son. (my son was admitted there on his 3rd day because of the sleep issue and massive weight loss).

All in all, the first pediatrician was my only bad experience with the hospital, and that was remedied.

Keli - posted on 04/26/2011

I gave birth in my home town.but they arent the greatest and often fly you out too a city 3 hours away.(by plane its a 45 minute ride) anyway in town i had 4th degree tares and the rough doctor did a bad sewing job before i got flown out i was feeling no comfort from the local freezing and told him i feel every poke he was doing but he ignored me and did it anyway.after i was flown to the city,they redid the sew job and gave me surgery,i found some of the nurses really rude, on my second day there i was able to shower and they didnt give me a new set of cotton panties,the ones i had when i got there were soiled with blood,the nurse tells my fiance i am to stand there and rinse them out because we only get one pair. so both me and my fiance found that unacceptable and caused a stink until she rudely gave me a new pair and said this will be the last pair...not to mention i was in a filthy roon where there was piss all over the bathroom floor,(not from us) overall it wasnt a pleasant time.

Rosie - posted on 04/26/2011

all of my hospital births were pretty good. with my last i was a little PO'd at the doctor who didn't come until my kids head was hanging out of me. then he proceeded to tell me to "hold on a minute" while he got his gear on.
other than that, i was pleased with everything from the food (weird i know) to my beds comfort level.
i did get frustrated after my first child when i was receiving "help" breastfeeding. nobody they brought in was helpful at all. quite the opposite actually. they were twats.

Caitlin - posted on 04/26/2011

Lol.. I coudln't wait to ge tout of the hospital.. I found it depended on the nurse I had, my labour and delivery nurse was amazing, friendly, helpful, funny, layed back, but she went on shift 2 hours before I gave birth, which sucked, the next one was tehcnically fine, but not nearly as funny, and she always seemed rushed..

After the birth, I had a horrible experience with them trying to teach me how to latch my baby, and I got so frustrated, but I figured it out on my own and was glad my firts took to nursing easily. I was out of the hospital 28 hours after giving birth, because I insisted (even after forceps delivery, 4th degree tear and major blood loss). I survived at home thanks to the hubby and the fact I could basically stay in bed all day except to go to the bathroom (AGONY!)

Second time around I kn ew the questions to ask, I knew how to breastfeed, my nurses were pretty good, were there to back me up, and I also knew that painkillers are my friend (I had refused them after my first - stupidly - and suffered for it). It was overall a pretty good experience though, and I left exactly 24 hours after, which made more sense that time after a straightforward birth with only a second degree tear (pfft - that was EASY!)..

Third time - hope it goes well.. I just much prefer being at home, i'll probably leave just as fast!

Krista - posted on 04/26/2011

My breastfeeding experience was similar to yours, Sarah.

In all, the support was great, the nurses were great, everybody was awesome.

But the breastfeeding support just wasn't there. I was breastfeeding lying down, due to having had an episiotomy, and was having a bit of success with that. They wanted me to nurse sitting up and did the whole "shoving my breast in the baby's face" thing for awhile. Obviously, that didn't work.

And then, I had a nurse basically bully me into trying nursing while sitting in a rocking chair, using a cross-cradle hold. Which would have worked fine...on a moderately-breasted woman who had not just had an episiotomy. But I've got some big ol' boobs, and the cross-cradle hold is REALLY challenging -- not something you want to foist upon a brand-new mom.

So yeah, there were a few issues. But overall, it was still pretty good.

Minnie - posted on 04/26/2011

My hospital experience sucked. Induced with cytotec (apparently my OB was either an idiot or arrogant enough to use a drug contraindicated against for inductions by the FDA) without being warned of the risks. The nurses blew my vein on the way in with the IV needle AND upon removing it. I had phlebitis in my forearm for two weeks after that.



They ran around like chickens with their heads cut off when my daughter's heartrate decreased (likely due to cytotec contractions and the epidural, laboring on my back), refused my request to keep the door closed during my labor, and scoffed at me telling them I needed to push, because apparently first-time mothers can't have a three-hour labor.



The OB was absent the entire labor, only showing up after multiple pages when my daughter's head was coming out. Congrats for her, she got to catch! Then she disappeared forever.



Then I had a nurse stand over me while I was trying to pee after labor (sorry, I can't pee when someone is leaning over me) and threatened to catheterize me if I didn't go. I kicked her out.



The nurses thought that the best way to get a baby to latch on is to grab my boob and smush my daugher's face into it. Yaaaay blisters! They also chided me for letting her nurse as long as she wanted to, saying that I should only nurse 15 minutes on each side. Thanks to them I ended up with severe oversupply and only realized the error when I was pregnant with my second.



I know it's policy and they wanted to make sure I was OK but being woken up every freakin half hour during the night for vital signs left me feeling like a train wreck. Coupled with the construction that went on all day in the hospital and broken heat that left my room at 75 (not great with falling pregnancy hormones). Sheesh.



I hope all hospitals/nurses/OBs are not as uneducated and arrogant as the ones I had. Unfortunately, they managed to destroy any positive perception I had of mainstream maternity care and so I had a peaceful home birth with a hands-off midwife with my second.

Sarah - posted on 04/26/2011

My local hospital where I started off with my eldest was pretty crap (imo) after them getting me to push at only 5cm dilated, not realising that baby was back to back and me thinking I was going to die.......they transferred me to another hospital. They were FANTASTIC!

The 2nd hospital calmed me down and gave me my beloved epidural and basically put me at ease that they knew what they were doing and could assist me no matter what happened. (the 1st hospital could only cope with totally straight forward births)

My only criticism of the 2nd hospital was the way they went about "helping" me breastfeed. With my eldest, I got no help whatsoever. Then nurse came in and said "You're baby is starving, if you can't breastfeed, we'll have to syringe you" I had/have no idea what that meant......and I was feeling awful, very ill, waiting for a blood transfusion, so I said "I'll just give her some formula". The nurse then returned with the formula and practically threw it at me with a look of disgust.

With my youngest, despite the midwives trying to convince me to go to my local hospital again, I went straight to the 2nd hospital this time.
Again, the were amazing, I ended up having a C-section due to baby being breech and the nurses and doctors were just fantastic, I can't fault them at all.

However, again, the "help" I got with breastfeeding was crap! This time I tried harder, asked for help. The nurse said "do you mind if I'm hands on with you?" I said "no". She then proceeded to squash my daughters mouth onto my breast for 45mins......I was sobbing, baby was screaming blue murder and it was awful! After I finally said "That's enough for now" my daughter had a red mark all around her mouth.
I tried on my own, but every time I tried to get her to latch on, she screamed and screamed. So I asked for formula......and again got the disapproving look!

So all in all, I found giving birth in hospital a really good experience, the only downside (which I guess could seem like a huge downside to some, but I've made my peace with formula feeding) was the lack of support with breastfeeding.

Laura - posted on 04/26/2011

My hospital was great. The only complaint is that I wish they would have let me leave the next day. And I'm sure if I pitched a fit I could have but I just get sick of sitting in the hospital. I love all the nurses they were great. The only time I got yelled at was for not ever calling them and letting them do stuff for me. They said, "Use us, we're here to pamper you cuz you're not going to get that when you go home" :)

I never really had much trouble breastfeeding with any of my boys, but when I did some one would be right there helping and not judging at all. And there is such a support system while you are there and after you leave.

All in all labor/delivery and after care was a very good experience will all three of my boys. I would recommend my hospital to anyone having a baby.

Donna - posted on 04/26/2011

the first hospital where i had my twins,i hated it. the doctor was good but one or 2 of the resident doctors were so negative. next one of the aids were just plain nasty. it was ok. the 2nd hospital where my 18 month old was born was way better. the staff were way more conciderate, although the one nurse just couldnt understand why the morphine had such negative effects on me(nausea, dizziness exct). all and all i enjoyed it there. i left a day early b/c my husband was tired and miserable. ( we were 2 hrs away from home and didnt have the money for him to run back and forth)