Breastfeeding at Union Hospital

M

mamabear :)

Registered User
Hi everyone,

I am due to have a C section at the Union hospital in May and have heard that they are not very supportive with breastfeeding, only allowing you to feed your baby in the nursery every 4 hours and then they will top up with formula. If you have a C section, you may not see baby until you can walk to the nursery i.e. the next day.

Has anyone delivered at the Union recently? Can you share your experience please? I didnt have this problem with the first as we were at Prince of Wales and could breastfeed on demand. We are in a semi-private room this time.

Many thanks!
 
Hi, this was definately the case with my first daughter, who was born via emergency c-section in St Thereasa. we were kept apart for more than 24 hours and then I only got 3 chances of 10 minutes per day to go to the nursery to try, it was awful and even though I tried and pumped for 5 weeks, she never took to breastfeeding.
I'm now pregnant with my second child and was determined to find somewhere, anywhere that was better. I went to visit Union and they said they've just recently changed their policies on breastfeeding now and they seemed fantastic. THe nurse said you could opt to breast feed on demand even throughout the night, they also said after a c-section they will take the baby for observation and all those check ups they do but then they will wheel you in the bed to an observation room so that you can breast feed within 3-4 hours after birth. So it seems that even if you don't have a private room they will really help you. It all sounds good, but we'll see if it really happens, I'm end of May, so I'll let you know! Best of luck :)
 
Thanks Lulu. I heard that about St. Theresas. I have an appointment this week so will ask more detail but sounds promising! Those first few days are so important and it's crazy to pay double the price just to be allowed to do something that is so natural. I'm due early May so should be there before you and will update you of my experience on here. :)
 
Hi lulu,

I have just come home from delivery our little girl on May 2. Happy to report that that the union hospital was fantastic!! We had an amazing experience there. All the the staff were super professional and caring. I really can't rave more about how great great they were. I stayed in a semi private room in the new wing and my room mate was lovely. We just kept to ourselves the first couple of of days and then chatted on the last 2 days. My mum stayed with me the first night which was great as after surgery I was bed bound. If u do have someone stay with u, be warned that the fold out bed is very very hard so maybe bring some soft bedding with you.

Regarding breastfeeding, they wheeled me to a separate room so I could give my baby her first first feed. I think it was was about 2-3 hours after surgery. They were very supportive of whatever I wanted to do but but the norm there is to bottle feed. All the mums go to the nursery every 4 hours to to feed for a while and then almost all of them top up with formula. My intention was to bf exclusively but I had nothing for 2 days, not even colostrum so I let them give her some formula. They still supported getting her on other book every 2 hours to stimulate. But as I was so tired from from the surgery I let them feed her thru the night for 2 nights. When I could get around a bit easier, I decided to try exclusive again and they helped me a lot. Wheelchairing me to to the nursery, sitting with me to help with engorgement, and explaining how they will keep track of baby's weight and nappies to ensure she was getting enough.

All in all I have to say the nurses there are wonderful. The norm is not to bf exclusively but they are all experienced in intimate area and are caring and supportive of your desires. The best thing is they are encouraging and make you feel OK if things don't go as you hoped or planned. That makes all the difference in the first few days.

All the best and I hope you have an equally as good experience. Let me know how you get on.
 
Hi mamabear!! I'm also planing to give a birth in union hospital this august but was thinking about private room and normal delivery!! I have one question, we still haven't paid the deposit. Did your insurance cover everything or you were paying? I'm a bit surprised with the prices they tell us. Thanks a lot!!)))
 
Hi mamabear! I'm so happy to hear your news and that all went well. I'm going for a c-section in a week and a half's time and really hope to have a good experience like you. I definately feel a bit more relaxed now going into it. Huge congratulations again on the birth of your daughter :)
 
I'm glad! O by the way, make sure you request a room in the new wing... Much nicer.

All the best and look forward to hearing the good news! :)
 
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