10 things to know about parenting in hospital
I've recently written about how we have been to the Emergency Department multiple times and admitted for a few nights with O. Having only ever been an inpatient when O was born, there were so many things I needed to learn about being a parent of a baby in hospital.
1. You will not sleep
If you are lucky enough to fall asleep, you will get disturbed constantly; the IV machine bleeping, the temperature & vitals checks, the medication administration etc. all happen at different times. Ask them if they can try to bundle everything together, sometimes the nurses will be able to help you out with this.
2. You will not eat
Despite requiring a parent to be present and do the majority of the nursing care for the child, food was not provided for parents. I survived on toast from the ward kitchen and takeaways (you can get food delivered to the ward).
3. You will not wash
During our stay there was no facility available for me to have a shower at the hospital. Even if there had been, it would have only been possible if I had someone else to watch O.
4. No hot drinks
It seems that no hot drinks is a policy in most children's hospitals on the wards and in the clinics. I tried to adhere to it, but life without tea was too hard and by day 3 I had resorted to sneaking in my favourite travel cup. There was a parent's tea room, but it was a windowless room out of range of my baby monitor, so not somewhere to linger.
5. You can ask for toys and a highchair
Most hospitals run a toy library; for us, a play therapist asked about O's age and interests and delivered some appropriate toys to our room. Her visit to swap the toys was the highlight of our day!
In my sleep-deprived state, I didn't think to ask about a highchair until day 3 on the ward. I had been trying to entice a very reluctant O to eat in bed and on my lap etc. As soon as I asked, we were provided with a highchair within about 5 minutes!
6. You can wash and sterilise bottles
The kitchen on the ward had a microwave steriliser and sink with washing up liquid and bottle brush. I tended to do this each evening after O had fallen asleep (I kept an eye on him with the baby monitor).
7. Baby formula is provided
The staff made up baby formula in batches and left it, labelled for each child, in a special fridge on the ward. This was terrific but plan for a delay if you have to buzz for a nurse to get it for you.
Tip: Ask for bottles of readymade formula for the night feeds to avoid a delay.
8. Parking is expensive
Consider how you will get to the hospital and if you are driving, check out the parking options nearby. Parking at hospitals in Ireland is expensive and in my experience, the public transport links are usually terrible too. Our four night stay cost close to €100 for taxis and use of the hospital carpark.
Tip: Ask the ward manager if there are any parking discounts, many hospitals offer discounted rates for inpatients.
9. It is ok to ask people to wash their hands
If you haven't seen someone wash their hands, you should absolutely ask them if they have done so! This isn't just to protect you and your child, but all the other patients and their families. I expected to see everyone that came into our room (catering, medical, household, nursing, allied health professionals etc.) clean their hands either with alcohol gel outside the door or with the sink in our room.
10. It's OK to question things.
Don't assume that everyone has the most up to date information. Even in this world of digital patient records, a conversation on the corridor or verbal report of something can hold the most recent update. If you hear conflicting information or something just doesn't sound right, always check!
Most of the staff that we interacted with were incredible, going above and beyond to make O's recovery as smooth as possible. However, it can be intimidating to be a parent in hospital; just remember that you are the parent and you know your child best. If you have any questions or needs, always ask!
