Birth partners - Airedale

I gave birth there 17 months ago and my partner at the time was not allowed to stay. I think it would be very unlikely that they’re allowing it now as the bed for mother and baby didn’t have anywhere a partner could sleep❤️

@Lilly💫 That's disappointing if it's still the case. I had a horrendous experience with my first at BRI as the staff were just so negligent and I got no help. I'm having a c section this time so was really hoping for help overnight 😞

I had my baby 17 months ago at airdale, my partner could only come in visiting hours but I didn’t have to stay overnight, I know my friend who gave birth not long before me got given a private room where her birth partner was allowed to stay but there are limited private rooms x

I get you lovely I had a c section too it was a hard and lonely night. Wishing you all the best it’s not ideal at all but you’ll make it through❤️

Hi, I gave birth there 16 months ago and partners weren’t allowed to stay. I had a c-section and my boy ended up in neonatal and I was lucky to get my own room and they let my partner stay then but there wasn’t a bed it was just a chair

Oh girls, I want to cry now 😫 I just don't want to worry about being left to deal with a baby and not being able to move much. I had this with my first (from surgery after birth rather than c section) and I'm not going to lie, it's traumatised me

I must have been really lucky then. The midwife’s were amazing and they just left us to it and tbh I heard other partners all night in the other rooms. I think it depends on your circumstances. When the time comes just speak to them as I’m sure they will try there very best to accommodate, as I say they were great with us, couldn’t have done more x

@Emily Maybe I could blag a side room? 😅 on a serious note, I'm not joking about the trauma. This is why I'm going to Airedale and not BRI. I just can't be back on that postnatal ward...

@Katie try not to get worked up honestly. I dreaded the part of being left alone but they were amazing. I get what you mean thought, c-sections are the worst, I couldn’t move and ended up contracting sepsis pretty bad, I couldn’t move at all it was awful and tbh I think it helped them me having my partner in as they didn’t need to come and help other than do there checks etc. you’ve got this x

@Katie the trauma is real, don’t think it ever goes 😂 I can’t compare to BRI but I do know I’ve heard more bad than good that’s why I chose Airedale and they didn’t disappoint. Really are lovely and I think if they have the spaces depending on other peoples circumstances they will put you in your own room anyway if it’s a c-section and it’s booked so even better

I had a C Section at Airedale in December and I was on the ward sharing with other Mums who had also had C Sections. You can ring the bell and they are attentive... I just felt like I didn't want to bother them 🙈 but I had to as I couldn't physically move to pick baby up and change her etc. They seemed short staffed at the time but I'm sure that's changed now. I was in 3 nights and I was so upset each time my partner had to leave at 8pm 😫 my little girl cried a lot whilst I was in the hospital and would only sleep on me but they did take her off to the nurses station for an hour or so just to give me a short burst of sleep. I did feedback when I left that it would be better if partners could even just stay later than visiting hours say 10/11pm and arrive earlier e.g 6am just to give that bit more respite from having to do everything alone. My feedback won't have changed anything but if enough people mention it, you'd like to think they could loosen the rules a little!

@Emily Thankyou for trying to make me feel better 😊 I guess I need to put my big girl pants on. Do you reckon crying at my midwife about it next week will do anything? 😅

@Katie I think everyone cries at the midwives 😂😂 they’ll be used to it ha! Hormones are something else 🙈 I always saw them holding babies for mums to sleep. I think it depends on who is on too. There was one midwife that used to sneak my partner back in once the “boss” had gone. I think she felt sorry for us, we had such a shit time but the midwives were amazing

@Emily oh bless you. Sounds like you had similar to what happened to us last time. I missed a bit of a crucial bit of info out - we had our first in covid, so when I say I was on my own with her, it was actually for 2 days straight, they didn't take my catheter out for >24hrs and they didn't help me at all 😞 then she got taken down to nicu and then taken over to LGI for 2 days, then I had another night with her on my own there before she was discharged. They were lovely at LGI, gave us a side room and looked after her for 2hrs while I tried to get some rest, just like you said. So I know the difference between good and bad care. Hoping it's on the better side 🙈

@Katie well, you tried! But you're right - things will only change with honest feedback

@Katie oh gosh that sounds awful and I can’t begin to imagine how hard for you even more so with them flaming hormones that seem to kick in to overdrive! I’d just put a lot of that down to Covid and try block it out but definitely tell them this and how you feel because I reckon they will try their best to put you at ease ❤️ our boy ended up needing a lumbar puncture on day two, it was just awful and so stressful and it feels like time just stops in there. I was on my own when he was in neonatal but they were just perfect, they let you go in anytime and my partner, you could stay as long as you wanted there was no “kicking out time”. When he was discharged and allowed in my room my partner stayed the first night, left me the second which was so hard, looking back I don’t even know how I got up, then she was allowed back in and never left until we got discharged but then I ended up back in a week later with severe sepsis and the next day we were all back in the same room 🤦🏼‍♀️😂

@Emily that must have been a lot. It's good that your partner could be there 😊

I had a side room whilst on the ward. Prior to giving birth my partner stayed one night but that was due to medical reasons as I have seizures when in pain and I was in labour. After birth he didn’t stay, I had a long labour and no sleep still never got any sleep after I gave birth. However, when it came to night time at 3am my little girl was screaming I had a student midwife come in and took my daughter for 3 hours so I could get some sleep. The care I had on the ward post birth was amazing. They helped me so much trying to breast feed and when I was struggling due to the lack of sleep. But I guess it all depends on the staff who are working.

They allowed my mum stayed cause they ask if you have someone to help you at night as the ward might be busy although I delivered through CS

Told me no then on day 3(I was on labour ward full 3 days) after I'm crying because I wanna go home because dad could only have a week off so he's missing out the midwife goes oh did he not want to stay overnight Like it was allowed the whole time

@Katie ffs really? This is what I don't get - mixed messages on the website and mixed experiences from mums. Basically leaves it open for midwives to be mean or nice? It's actually stressing me out

I had my baby in July and my partner could stay

I have birth there 6 months ago and my partner was allowed to stay, they were lovely and gave us a side room so he could stay over but did say if we was on the ward he wouldn’t have been allowed x

@Courtney yes, that's what I've gathered from my midwife. I'm hoping because I'm having a c section that they may give me a side room so my husband can stay if it's available 🤞🏻 thanks for replying. Only 5 days away for me now! Xx