You waited nine months for this moment.
You feel joyful, vulnerable and appreciate having your partner by your side –it is their baby too after all.
But in many hospitals, especially in the UK, partners are allowed stay overnight on the maternity ward after the birth, and it is making some women very uncomfortable.
One woman took to social media to complain about the practice. Mumsnet user, ‘Whatthefreakinwhatnow’, says she was booked in for a c-section as her baby was breech. In her information pack, there was a list of do’s and don’t for her ‘support person’ during their stay on the ward. She wrote:
“Sorry, WTF? I love my partner dearly but not a chance do I want him or more importantly a load of other blokes on the ward. Am I the only person who thinks this is really bloody unreasonable?”
She quickly got a backlash of replies disagreeing;
“I have severe anxiety and panic disorder and my partner was kicked out ten minutes after my son was born. I was an absolute wreck and he was devastated to be sent away from his newborn son and me. Why shouldn’t dads be able to be with their newborns?”
Other mums wrote how they found their partners staying over ‘hugely helpful’ while they recovered.
Speaking to the Mailonline, one mum said that having men stay over on the maternity ward was totally inappropriate.
“You’re at your most exposed after giving birth. The curtain only offers a small amount of privacy; everyone can see through the gaps. At 6am a nurse barged in to remove my catheter in full view of the husband staying in the next cubicle. I was taken by surprise; there was just no dignity. Also, as a breastfeeding mother, it was really inappropriate to try to get my baby to suckle without full privacy, especially at night. I would never share a hospital ward with a male patient, so why should I have to share with someone else’s husband post-birth?’
What do you think mamas? Would you jump at the chance to have your partner stay over after the birth of your child if this was allowed in your hospital?
