What not to bring to the hospital?

SarahC11

ok so im going public in the rotunda and alot of people have been telling me stuff might get robbed in the hospital, is there any truth to this or just people being paranoid? i want to make sure i have enough stuff with me but obv dont want anything to get robbed on me! this is my first and ive never stayed in hospital for any reason so i dont know what to expect at all!

ladypip

Hi Sarah I had my baby in 2007 in the Rotunda and i ended up in the closest thing to intensive care there which is also the smallest ward (apart from private rooms) and closest to the nurses office and my son was in nicu so i had to go back and forth between the ward and nicu.

I had problems with one of the patients in particular who was found "looking" at my things while i was in the nicu.

So my partner brought me and the girl beside me locks for our bags and we would pack everything up whenever we were leaving for the nicu or showers.

Id advise you to bring a lock and send your camera home with someone when your not using it.

qwertytlk

oh my god, i never even thought of this. its the last place and time you would the think someone would be trying to rob your stuff but i suppose i cant say im suprised. Im goin public in rotunda too, due in 3 weeks. I have my bag packed but the only real valuables il have will be my phone and camera. I wont just be staying n for the labour as iv been told i may have to stay in hospital for up tp 5 days so im thinking now it might be difficult to keep an eye on my stuff all of the tme...... and also even if things like ur camera are the only valuables, people still rob clothes and makeup etc. Thats so annoying just thinking about having to worry about theiving scum when im having a baby especially if the theif is another womaan who's just given birth!! have you heard how common this actuaally is or was it an isolated incident??

SarahC11

well ive been told it happens quite a bit, most people saying foreign nationals or drug addicts taking your's and the babys stuff (just what ive been told dont mean to sound at all racist or anything) and apparently some people just dont bring nappies and stuff and they might keep asking you for some, i wouldnt mind if say someone forgot something and ya helped them out but i would be the type that cant say no and im kind of worried i might be put in a situation like this and end up being short on things cos i dont wanna seem like a miserable bitch saying 'no your not getting any of my nappies'!! i was thinking maybe i would bring my handbag for my purse and camera ect. but at the same time i dont wanna look weird or paranoid taking the handbag everywhere with me! i might be over thinking it and listening to too many people but im very quiet and if anything like that was happening to me i would be extremely uncomfortable

qwertytlk

yeah i know whaat you mean!! Dont get me wrong im well able to stick up for myself but on the other hand i dont want to be put in a situation with someone where they keep mooching off me. Its not fair.. I dont mind sharing at all but i definatley would want to be used by anyone either. Was just reading the post before my original one where the girl said somone was caught ''looking'' at her bags! if anyone was ''looking'' at my stuff i wuold definatley say something, but as i said before iv been told i may have to stay in a couple of days after the birth and can you imagine how awkward it would be on the ward if you caugh someone at your stuff and had to have words with them! Ugh im seriously dreading staying in a hospital ward for up to 5 days:(
See what you said about drug addicts...well would there normally be many addicts on te wards? yet another thing i havent thought about!

Keeping valuables in the handbag is what i was thinking too. And i dont think you would look paranoid carring your handbag around with you all the time, sure isnt that what they are for!! but what do you do with it a night then....cant exactley sleep with our bags onn our shouders LOL!!!!:D
As for money, i think il just keep the minium with me, say 15 or 20euro and if i need anything or more money get him to bring it.

When are you due??

ladypip

The person i had this problem with was a drug addict and i had absolute murder.

My son as i already mentioned was in intensive care and i had an emergency c section so i didn't get to see him until nearly 48hs after he was born as i was touch and go as well.

Anyway my boyfriend bought me a picture frame with the baby's picture in it as i hadn't even seen him in the flesh.The junkie kept commenting on it saying it must have been expensive and it was lovely and her baby was in intensive care and she'd love one as well and she kept coming over and looking at the clothes my bf or mam had left at the end of the bed to go up to the nicu.

Anyway cut a long story short i went to have a shower before i went up to see him for the first time and when i came back she had the frame off the little press thing out at the end of my bed looking like she was taking it over to her bed. I called the nurse and told her what had happened and the toe rag said i had made it up and she was just "looking" at it. I didnt have the strength to fight and i really wanted to go up and see the baby. but i asked the girl next to me to keep an eye on my stuff for me really loudly so she heard me.

I told my bf and he in no uncertain terms made it clear to her that i wouldn't take this sh!t and to back off!

In saying that though girls my sister had four baby's there and never had anything like that happen but she was careful and had locks on her bags as well.

SarahC11

yeah i think a situation like that would just be pure awkward especially if it happened on the first day and ya'v t still be around them for whatever amount of days! imhoping i wont have to stay in long but its my 1st so they might keep me a couple of days. im not sure if there would be alot of addicts but i suppose ya just never know who ur gonna be on the ward with, i think id only keep about that much money with me, it'd only be if i wanted anythin in the shop! (most likely munchies i never stop eating these days!) im due in 7weeks, dreading it!!

SarahC11

ladypip, that would be exactly the type of situation id be dreading! im a big whimp i wouldn know what to do! il make sure i bring a lock and i think il save all the nice baby clothes n stuff till i get out of hospital!

ladypip

Sarah there isn't allot of drug addicts there, they are mostly in the ward i was in which is for people who had birth complications as most drug addicts would have had premature births.

So hopefully you wont be in that ward as you'll have a safe "normal" birth . 99.9% of the girls in there are lovely but there is always the .01% that ruin it!
Good luck with it all

Redpunto

Its common sense I suppose - Ive been to Rotunda twice and never had any issue with stealing or people mooching stuff off me. Ill be heading back in in the next few weeks (hopeffullly!!) and I just wont be bringing anything valuable in but its like that for all hospitals i suppose

How Strange

I was in a ward in the coombe for 1 day before my baby was born and 3 days after. I'd heard lots of opinions on how the coombe is full of junkies and other undesirables. My ward was grand; just lots of other normal women looking after their babies and I never felt for a minute that I had to lug my phone etc around with me. I did however take simple precautions like hiding things out of sight before I went to the loo or wherever but that's just common sense.

Oral Slang

A few years ago my sisters friend had a baby in a Dublin hospital (can't remember which one though). A non national came over to her stuff & started helping herself. When the friend told her to stop, the lady got really annoyed & said - you have loads, I have nothing! Mad to think at a time when you're so tired & emotional, to have to think of these things, but unfortunately it's the time we live in.

cathy01

True story, I had my angel 8 years ago.I was next to the loo, so left her in her cot and poped in.Came out, she was gone.I looked in the nursery, no sign, called a nurse who said they didnt take her, they called security.I was in BITS, I went back to the room to ask the other mothers if they had seen anything nd behind a curtin, was ...my baby, in the cot of another woman.Beside her giant of a baby.She said she was compairing the size of them.Can you , for one second imagine how I felt.Relief and yet, wanting to rip her to peices.Nurse was not to impresses.Im due baby no 4 in October and will be extra careful of my stuff.Thanks for the tip off.OH Baby no 4 will be glued to my side.

Dublin Mum

Scumbags, junkies and prisoners from Mountjoy- gosh think I'll be opting for the midwife lead unit and early release option!

January

Dublin Mum wrote: »

Scumbags, junkies and prisoners from Mountjoy- gosh think I'll be opting for the midwife lead unit and early release option!

They usually try to be discreet and keep the addicts (I hate that word junkie... ) on a different ward and prisoners will always be in private rooms with a guard at all times. It's not as bad as people make out and once you have a bit of common sense about you (don't leave mobile in view, etc) then you'll be fine.