Private rooms

JC Diamond (jdiamond@nic.com)
Mon, 1 Apr 1996 13:11:01 -0500 

oh, I see we have stumbled upon a pet peeve topic of mine....

The hospital where I gave birth try to give you a private room, but it is
not always possible.  As a matter of fact, they are currently re-doing the
ward so that all the rooms will be private.  Anyway....

After I had Kate, I was eventually put on the post-partum floor in a double
room.  I was so sick that I was kept in L&D for two days after the
birth..but I was so deathly ill that I really was not aware of the labouring
women all around me (and good thing too). I also didn't get to see my baby
for three days..but that is another story altogether.

The first night in post partum, the night nurse came in to check on me and
FORGOT to read my chart.  "how are you?" she said.."will we be bringing you
your baby for the night feeding?"  Can I tell you that I became so
hysterical they actually had to sedate me!  My BP went so high they had to
take it every half hour!  The poor nurse felt awful about it, but I think
she SHOULD feel bad.  Darn well will READ the charts next time! There is
just NO EXCUSE for this sort of thing.  And I would not have believed this
could happen if it had not happened to me.  

Well, two nights before I was discharged, the hospital had a real run on
babies.  A nurse came into my room and began to prepare the other bed.  I
nearly freaked out.  I just could not handle the mere thought of having a
woman AND HER FULL TERM BABY in the room with me.  I had my husband speak to
the duty nurse and they assured him they would NOT put anyone in my room.  I
didn't believe it (hormones I guess) and I started to pack up my things to
leave at about 2 AM.(not easy to do after a C-section and all I'd been
through. I am surprised I didn't pass out on the floor with the effort...)
I figured if they put a baby in that room I was just going to leave! The
duty nurse came in and tried to calm me down. She told me that I had her
word I would have my room all to myself.  Then she helped me to the NICU to
see Kate.  

A friend of mine who also had a preemie had the same situation.  Except she
got a roommate.  When the nurses came in to check on the other woman, assist
with the BF and all, they all but ignored my friend.  She said it was just
horrible. The guests were loud, the baby was THERE...  She made every excuse
to NOT be in the room..she spend all her time at the NICU or in the lounge
(during sterile procedures and shift changes)

When I left the hospital, the discharge nurse gave me what was obviously the
same "talk" she gave moms who got to go home with their babies.  I kept
telling her "but my baby is staying here..." I SHOULD have yelled at her but
I was too shocked.  We discussed it with the NICU staff and they were
stunned.  They apologized profusely even though it was none of their doing.

We later made a complaint to the head nurse and appropriate action was
taken.  I wasn not going to complain..but if I save another mom the
trauma..it was worth it.

Justine