"Feedback Regarding Nursery Stay"

My baby was admitted to the King Edward Memorial Hospital NICU and nursery at one day old with a suspected infection. They were admitted for five days to receive IV antibiotics. My baby initially stayed in the NICU before being transferred to the nursery.

Throughout our stay, the staff across all areas of the hospital were incredible. We felt very well supported and cared for, and I am extremely grateful for the kindness and professionalism shown to our family.

However, I would like to express my concern regarding my inability to stay with my one day old baby while they were in the nursery for the three days they remained there.

As a new mother trying to establish breastfeeding and bond with my baby, I spent as much time as possible at their bedside and travelled back and forth to the hospital at least every three hours to pump, attempt breastfeeding, and provide expressed breast milk where needed.

There were two mothercraft rooms available in the nursery for mothers to stay in, however these were consistently occupied. I recall the head consultant made it clear that they believed mothers staying with their babies leads to the best outcomes, but unfortunately the hospital did not have the resources available to support this.

I would strongly encourage consideration of additional accommodation options for mothers in the nursery, particularly for babies admitted for more than a day. This could include additional rooms, beds, or even sofa beds beside nursery cots to allow mothers to remain with their infants.

Ultimately, my baby and I experienced a very difficult breastfeeding journey, and I believe that being unable to stay with my baby during those first three days contributed significantly to this.