New guidelines for mums-to-be and their relatives at the University Hospital of Wales are being released to the public.
Some new mums say they’ve been confused about whether their partners can stay with them overnight.
The maternity ward’s policy says partners have to leave the hospital at 9pm, even if their partner’s started going into labour.
But now UHW have brought in 24 recliner chairs to allow partners to stay.
Miranda Webb is a post-natal practitioner and sits on the Maternity Services Liaison Committee. She says up to now the situation’s been “a grey area”.
She added: “This message from the hospital is we’ve listened to women, we’ve got chairs in place and we’re pro-actively going out and saying we invite parents and partners to stay overnight.
“As soon as women are in established labour (4-10cm dilated) they get their own room on delivery suite and partners stay with them. No one would send a partner home when the woman is in established labour.”
Miranda Webb, member of the Maternity Services Liaison Committee, says the visitor times have been a “grey area”
Lucy Hooper, who had her first child 5 months ago, says she was “absolutely distraught” when her husband was sent home.
She said: “My contractions started at 9pm and that’s when visiting hours were over, so I had to say goodbye to my husband… You have to wait until you’re 4cm dilated before your husband’s called back in, so you have to go through all that labour on your own.”
Lucy Hooper
Laura Leon (featured photo) had her daughter Alicia eleven days ago and only realised her husband could stay the night after she’d been in the induction ward for 24 hours.
She says: “It wasn’t very well advertised and once I was in the delivery suite my husband had to go home at 4am and was told to return at 9am. It’s a problem”.
Suzanne Hardacre, Head of Midwifery at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, says: “The information for relatives staying overnight has recently been updated and will be publicised on the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board website shortly. There is also a code of conduct for partners who wish to stay.
“During their antenatal care, women nominate their partner, friend of significant other who can stay with them throughout their time in hospital. Visiting times remain the same By staying overnight partners become involved in their babies’ care right from the start and also support their partner, which can really help.”
UHW’s new recliner chairs in the maternity ward
