"The excellent care received by my daughter and my baby grandson"

I wanted to thank the healthcare teams at the Royal Alexandra Maternity Unit, Paisley, for the amazing care received by my daughter and her baby son.

My daughter developed pre-eclampsia at 32 weeks, and was immediately under the care of the Day Unit twice a week.  At her appointment when she was 34 weeks, her health was causing concern and she was admitted to Ward 31.  During her time there, she received regular monitoring until the decision was taken to deliver her baby by Cesarean Section.  Although both she and her husband were very anxious, the staff treated them with kindness and respect and their son was born safely.

Dr Louise was incredible!  She anticipated the things that my daughter and son-in-law missed and made sure that photos were taken of the new family and enabled some bonding time before baby was taken to the Neonatal Unit.

He remained there for 3 weeks.  My daughter was discharged 4 days after he was born - she described this as the worst day of her life, so far - and she and her husband visited the Unit every day.  Again, through some very challenging days, they received the utmost care.  The staff took time to show the new parents how to help with their son's care, and they gradually become more confident.  For the final 2 nights before baby was discharged, they were accommodated in the Family Room, where they were able to get to know their baby more, whilst still being supported by the team around them.

So, sincere thanks to Dr Louise and Dr Priah (I'm not sure if that's the correct spelling); to all the staff in the Day Unit; to Denise and her fabulous team in the Maternity Unit; and to Dr Andrew and the team in the Neonatal Unit!

However, there are a couple of things I'd like to mention, in the spirit of much better if.....

This was the first time my daughter had ever been in hospital and, from her admission she found it impossible to sleep due to the noise from other patients, and the regular monitoring.  So, by the time baby was born 3 days later, she was exhausted.  She was sent to a ward with 3 other mums who had their babies with them - she was the only one who didn't.  This seemed unnecessarily cruel and had a huge impact on my daughter.  Although she visited the Neonatal Unit each day, she still returned to her bed with no crib beside it, and was kept awake by the crying of other people's babies - not her own.

I mentioned her lack of sleep to a few members of staff, and she was allowed to sleep in a single room - which I feel should have been offered on the first night.  However, I'm very grateful to the midwife who followed through on my concerns and made the necessary arrangements.

The decision to discharge my daughter came as a surprise, given that the day before, there was still some concern about her health.  She told me that she cried most of the day, as it took hours to sort the paperwork and she kept hoping that she could stay another night.  

I appreciate that beds and staff are at a premium and wonder if there is another way to support new mum's in a similar situation - perhaps using volunteers with suitable experience who can sit with them and offer some comfort whilst they are waiting to leave?  My daughter and son-in-law have a close family network around them, but still found this situation unbearable.  I can't imagine how a single mum with little or no support would cope!

There's also something about staff being so familiar with processes that they forget that it is the unknown for others, and that emotions are heightened.  So a statement of fact can be the final straw to new parents for whom the situation is not what they could ever have imagined.

I hope this feedback is helpful, but I'm happy to have a further conversation if more detail is required.