Pre-eclampsia and high blood pressure in pregnancy
Mothers and babies spending time together in hospital
Bonding and spending time with their baby was important, but this could be challenging for women we interviewed who had had pre-eclampsia or HELLP syndrome.
Women and their babies were often separated in the hospital after birth, and were unable to see each other right away. This could be because the mother was very unwell and needed stabilising, or in some cases, was being cared for in an ICU (Intensive Care Unit) or HDU (High Dependency Unit). Some mothers who had caesarean sections said they had been able to briefly see their baby in the operating theatre, but then there could be hours or even days before the next opportunity to see or touch their baby. Paige wasn’t able to see her baby for 26 hours as she was “bed-bound”. Michael remembered it being a “bit difficult” having his wife in one part of the hospital and their new baby in another, and “neither of them were in a state to be transported to the other for a while”.
Having pre-eclampsia meant that often the baby needed to be delivered early. Women we spoke to had their baby as early as 25 weeks (whereas a full-term baby would be born at 37-40 weeks). So sometimes the baby needed to be cared for in a neonatal unit for several weeks or even months. There are three main levels of neonatal units to suit the needs of different babies: NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), LNU (Local Neonatal Unit) and SCBU (Special Care Baby Unit). This meant that, as well as recovering their own health, some women also had the challenge of visiting their new baby in the neonatal unit. This could be in a different part of the hospital or, in some cases, in a different hospital. There could be extra restrictions on visits and physical contact for babies born early and with health problems and in neonatal units.
There was a delay before Dominie was able to see her baby. It was a very exhausting time both physically and emotionally.
There was a delay before Dominie was able to see her baby. It was a very exhausting time both physically and emotionally.
Kay was very unwell but it was important to her to spend time with her daughter, as she didn’t know the chances of her baby surviving.
Kay was very unwell but it was important to her to spend time with her daughter, as she didn’t know the chances of her baby surviving.
So, I… the nurse said, "Come on," the next morning, "we'll get you showered." So, I went and showered and I fainted. It's just so hot… the showers are so small; it's an old hospital and I fainted, and I said to her, "Look it's the heat." My kidneys still obviously weren't working and I was still overheating all the time. But she spoke up for me with the doctor and said, "Look, you know she really wants to go upstairs." So they put me upstairs, and the nurses, they'd kept my room for me. So I was still outside the nurse's station, and it was good because when you're up there you can come and go as you please, and they helped me express milk for her and obviously my body wasn’t ready for that, I was only 27 weeks pregnant; I was ill; it was a shock.
Most women found that, once they and their babies were both home, bonding became much easier. Although a few said their experiences left them quite anxious about the health of their babies and that of themselves (see also the sections on emotional impacts, baby’s future health and women’s long-term health).
Josie’s baby was in a Special Care Baby Unit for some time. She found it easier to bond and connect with her baby once they had both been discharged from hospital.
Josie’s baby was in a Special Care Baby Unit for some time. She found it easier to bond and connect with her baby once they had both been discharged from hospital.
Being separated from their baby whilst in hospital presented challenges. Distance was one. Lyndsey said it was “not ideal” that the postnatal maternity ward and SCBU were on different floors of her hospital. Aileen remembered the NICU being a long walk from where she was and “if I ask for a porter for a wheelchair, it takes a while for them to arrive”. In addition to distance, some staff on the postnatal ward were unaware of their circumstances. Josie said there was “little understanding of the fact that I didn’t even have my baby with me” nor how ill she was.
Occasionally, women or their baby had to be transferred to another hospital. Kate was sent to an ICU in another hospital for a couple of days shortly after giving birth. Aileen’s baby was moved to another hospital as the NICU ward was too busy. This NICU was 30-40 miles away and visiting was tricky as she already had a young child at home and couldn’t drive because of the caesarean section. Betty was worried when she was told her baby would be transferred to another hospital: “unfortunately it doesn’t have the best reputation – wrongly because we have received fantastic care there”.
Samantha X’s baby was born prematurely as a result of pre-eclampsia. Visiting her baby in the neonatal unit was difficult as they were both so unwell.
Samantha X’s baby was born prematurely as a result of pre-eclampsia. Visiting her baby in the neonatal unit was difficult as they were both so unwell.
Kate had to be taken to a different hospital after giving birth because she was so unwell. It was hard to bond with her baby and she struggled with the physical impact on her body.
Kate had to be taken to a different hospital after giving birth because she was so unwell. It was hard to bond with her baby and she struggled with the physical impact on her body.
In the same hospital?
No a different hospital a few miles away. But the nurses there were ever so good. They, they wrote a little diary from my son to me and of course that, that got me, that got me. So he wrote about what he’d been doing that day and but it was not real to me. And my partner showed me photographs and I actually said, “Have you got the right baby?” I didn’t recognise him. So... I didn’t have this maternal side to me, because I wasn’t allowed to have that. So I worried, I worried about when I’d see him again. Would he know me? Would he like me? Because I felt like I’d let him down. So yes, after four days, I finally went back to the hospital where my son was, and we were reunited and [upset] and I couldn’t really stand up without assistance, which is so frustrating because normally I’m really active and healthy and having to ring every time you want to get up. But I forced myself to do it. I probably shouldn’t have done, but, and then to have the catheter removed, they want you then to pass water and I remember ringing for the nurse and she gave me a jug. Oh God. And I was so embarrassed about it. But it was another step towards recovery. And after five days I finally had a bath. I mean I was disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. And there was a full length mirror in the bathroom and the nurse who helped me there she left me to it, and she said, “Now don’t look in the mirror.” But I did. And I didn’t recognise myself. Just elephantine bruises, the bruising, I don’t know where they’d come from. I don’t know if it was the caesarean or what, but it, I had bruises all down my thighs, all around my torso. And it was shocking. I couldn’t really bend very well, and didn’t really understand what, what had happened
Having the option of a separate space for mother and baby was sometimes important. Emma said knowing her baby was being looked after in SCBU gave her the opportunity to rest and recover. Ruth X thought it was good that she was allowed to stay on the postnatal ward for some extra days because it was not fully booked out; this meant she could rest and heal quickly but also be near her baby.
Access to photographs or video of their baby could bridge the distance to some extent, and partners often helped with this. Although partners and other family members often tried to bridge mother and baby, it could be hard on them to be pulled in two different directions. Samantha X and her baby were in different parts of the hospital and she remembered her husband “going between the two of us”. Stewart described himself as being a “split dad or husband” and there was a “torn feeling” about which person he should be with.
Stewart’s wife, Claire, wasn’t able to go see their baby for a little while after giving birth. He thought it was good that the hospital set up a camera next to the cot for his wife.
Stewart’s wife, Claire, wasn’t able to go see their baby for a little while after giving birth. He thought it was good that the hospital set up a camera next to the cot for his wife.
OK
I was allowed to go up and see her. Obviously Claire wasn’t allowed to go up straight away; I think it was possibly the next day. What they did do which was a brilliant thing, and I hope they do a lot more of it, is they'd set up a camera up beside where our child was, and they had a monitor down beside Claire, so she could actually see the child.
Oh wow
And what was happening and it did…I'm sure it had an audio bit so we could… if I was upstairs in SCBU (Special Care Baby Unit) with the child that Claire could hear and we could speak to each other. I thought that was an amazing thing to do sort of thing yeah.Lyndsey found it hard being separated from her baby. She remembered a time when she was told she couldn’t go see her baby and it took a long time to find out why.
Lyndsey found it hard being separated from her baby. She remembered a time when she was told she couldn’t go see her baby and it took a long time to find out why.
Samantha X encouraged her husband to spend most of his time with their baby, but this meant she was on her own a lot.
Samantha X encouraged her husband to spend most of his time with their baby, but this meant she was on her own a lot.
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