"Care after the birth of my child"

I appreciate the excellent care I received during my pregnancy and during the birth, including perinatal care. My daughter was born at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Glasgow. Immediately after I went on an antipsychotic that made me terribly drowsy. The stay in hospital with a newborn, very limited support, and being so dreadfully sleepy, was nightmarish and, I believe, dangerous considering the number of times I dropped off holding my baby. I was so dreadfully poor at that time I only had t-shirts to sleep in and try to nurse in and being in public made me cry almost every second of my wakeful stay. My baby cried when not held. When my husband and sister visited was the only times I slept. Once a nurse took my baby of me for an hour at night. I don't have to tell you how hard those first days are, especially for first time mums.

When I lived in Korea, hospital beds were all trundle beds. Unless requested (and paid for) patients were looked after by family members. I wish this was available to me. Or that I could just go home. Being so helpless and alone in a public room gave me a physical and mental / emotional knock I did not recover from. It is part of the reason I will not have another child.

I am telling you this because I have recently met three other women who gave birth at the QEUH and have similar stories: excellent care throughout pregnancy and birth, then an extremely challenging hospital stay after birth that still feels like the worst days of our lives. 

Please don't read this as a complaint. I do not think anyone failed me. But I think the system is bad. It was just another thing to recover from post-partum. So I think you should know.