Do people usually give doctor and midwives gifts after birth of baby?

Katie_SP23 · 27-07-2023 08:37AM #1

Just wondering what other people are doing. The doctor and midwives were lovely. If gifts are given, what sort of gifts would it be?

KaneToad · 27-07-2023 08:38AM

I have never heard of anyone doing this.

AlanG · 27-07-2023 08:41AM

Never heard of it and often you will have multiple midwives during a birth, also the doctor generally only pops their head in for about 15 minutes at the end unless something is going wrong. If you have a particularly good midwife for the whole of labour then I am sure they would appreciate a token but it's not expected.

Str8outtaWuhan · 27-07-2023 08:47AM

Always went private so paid through the nose. Our consultant got a thank you card each time and when we had our last we sent her a picture of all the little **** she helped deliver 🤣

Big Bag of Chips · 27-07-2023 11:29AM

I work for an obstetrician in a public hospital. Yes, people regularly give gifts. Usually boxes of chocolates dropped in with a card. The consultant regularly gets cards and gifts, anything from a simple card to expensive food hampers and everything in between. Sometimes you might never actually meet the consultant and only deal with them team.

The one thing I notice is it's usually the postnatal ward who get the chocolates, and they are the one who have had the least to do with the patient 😉. The outpatient clinic for the previous 6 months and labour ward are where all the action really happens!

A box of chocolates and card would be appreciated by delivery ward and outpatient clinic but definitely not expected. (There are 100s of deliveries every month!! Vast majority don't give gifts, nor are they expected to)

French Toast · 27-07-2023 11:36AM

We left a box of chocolates and a card in to both the ICU and the ward we were in after the birth, just a small token.

Deeec · 27-07-2023 11:38AM

I left a box of chocolates and a thank you card into the midwife/nurse station when leaving the hospital. I think thats enough

Princess Calla · 27-07-2023 11:41AM

Thank you card and box of sweets to delivery team.

I had gestational diabetes so I saw the same midwife nurse each appointment so she got a box of chocolates and card too.

JDD · 28-07-2023 01:26PM

I've had three kids and it has never even crossed my mind to do this.

As for outpatient over post-natal, I would have far more detailed memories of the postnatal nurses than the prenatal ones. My prenatal appointments were 5/10 minutes every four weeks. Blood pressure, a few questions, the odd taking of blood.

The postnatal nurses helped me to adjust from independent person to mother, the largest life change you will ever go through. I know who is going to get the box of chocolates.

witchgirl26 · 12-09-2023 08:53AM

I brought in a card for a specific midwife who stayed on during her break to help me as I was by myself. I'd been in for induction & went into labour in the middle of the night so other half had to make his way in & took a while. She was amazing as I went from 0 - 90 in a very short space of time & stayed on over her break to make sure I was ok & was with me for most of my labour then. I also then brought a generic card for all of them that had helped & a couple of tubs of individually wrapped chocolates to share round. My other half had brought up a tub of chocolates to the ward when I was leaving for them there. And we gave another in to the clinic (I was semi-private) when I went in for my diabetes check post pregnancy.

Kerry25x · 09-10-2023 02:45PM

Yes, when we went back to the hospital for the heel prick test we dropped in 3 gift boxes of brownies from a local bakery. One to the postnatal ward, one to labour ward and one to neonatal.

Staff in labour and neonatal were amazing so I really wanted to thank them. Staff in postnatal not so much but they were very stressed and short staffed so they got a box too.

Do people usually give doctor and midwives gifts after birth of baby?

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