Gifts for nurses and hospital staff

[Scout]

I'm in the US, and I've never heard of such. I had different nurses coming and going and then with a shift change there were even more. I definitely had some outstanding care by a few, and those few I acknowledged and thanked.

 

[Chelle26]

I bought my midwife who delivered my son a box of thorntons
Posh chocs and a card for her she was amazing and without her
I would of been absolutely lost - I know they get paid but i just felt the need
Then my sil bought cakes for all the midwives on my ward but that did
Get me a private room

 

[Penguin20]

When my mum had me and my siblings I think she just brought a massive box of chocolate so they could put them in the team room to help themselves

I don't get why people go soo over the top and buy big hampers, I defiantly couldn't afford to do that so will be doing what my mum did and maybe buy something extra for the midwife

 

[Mushymilkfor2]

I'm also from the US and I've never heard of such a thing. It seems like more ladies from the UK are recounting experiences of bringing treats at least than the US ladies.

As for doing it this time? I doubt I would, I personally named the nurses I loved to their supervisor, and thanked each one every time I saw them. All of them, not just the ones I felt went above and beyond.

 

[meg_bellamy]

I used to work in a labour and delivery ward and people giving gifts to staff was a minority, we don't have a tipping culture here so I guess that goes along with it. However, my kitten had surgery and i sent the vets a thankyou card and chocolates so i may do similar after having my baby, however I would think I would be far too exhausted and overwhelmed. God the pressure on people these days is ridiculous!

 

[Blu10]

As a fellow nurse a card and box of chocs or biscuits is more than enough if you want to give aomething

 

[Septie]

Never heard of such a thing, and I am in the US. With my first, I had two nurses (one night, one day) who I saw every day (3 day stay) and who were fabulous and amazing. If it had occurred to me, I would have done it. With my second, I never had the same nurse twice, it seemed, and they were overall not that great (except for the nurse in the recovery room - she was one of a kind!). And were very grumpy when I asked them to wash their hands prior to touching the baby (hospital upon check-in had handed out a sheet telling patients to request this!).

 

[Darlin65]

Sorry ladies! For some reason I didn't get my usual updates when my post got replies

It is something that has been on pinterest so I see a lot of ladies talking about it on my other birth boards. Stuff like these...

 

[MyFavSurprise]

I'm in the US and I had never heard or thought about this truthfully, I have spent my fair share of stays in the hospital with many different types of nurses.. had some wonderful ones a few weeks ago when I got my appendix out... and I loved my midwife and nurse from my son's birth, going to be having the next at the same hospital, I think I may do the doughnuts this time..Will have to send my fiance out for them but I'm sure he'd be happy to..we are low income though so will have to see what the money is doing, especially with him on paternity leave.

Couldn't imagine doing the personal baskets though, even if I had the money, I'd be stressed trying to be sure I had enough since sometimes there are so many nurses and people helping.

 

[Darlin65]

I'm really liking these ideas. I'm all for something small so please don't get me wrong. Gratitude for those that take care of you is awesome. I just don't have that kind of money to make big gift baskets..

 

[george83]

I'm in the uk and when I had ds1 and ds2 I brought a box of chocolates for the ward when I left. With ds2 I'd given birth in the midwife led ward so it was the same team of midwifes who looked after us all day. With ds3 though he was in scbu for 2 weeks so I didn't buy anything for my midwifes and I wasn't thinking properly when I was discharged but when baby left/moved wards I brought something for each of those, just some cakes/biscuits. I know it's not much but it's something to show how much we appreciated their time and effort.

 

[Spudtastic]

I've never heard of this either and I probably wouldn't bring a gift in with me for nurses when I go into hospital to have no2.

However I have bought cards and gifts in the past as I really appreciate the care that I have been given. Here are some times when I did get presents

I got wine and chocolates/cake for my midwife from dd as I had the same midwife throughout my pregnancy, for the whole of my very long labour and birth and for six weeks after birth.

After my mmc the nurse at the doctors looked after me when noone else did and she went above and beyond to make sure I was ok.

When I passed out at the supermarket checkout (pregnant) two ladies who worked at the supermarket looked after me and one even drove me home.

Nurses are such caring people and there have been times when friends and family haven't helped and a nurse just knows what to do to make me feel better. I know this isn't the main point of the thread but I just wanted to share my appreciation.

 

[julesjules100]

I'm in the UK too and I hadn't heard of anyone doing this before re gifts. HOWEVER, when I gave birth I was in for 4 days and had the most amazing head midwife/staff nurse at the hospital. I got on so well with her. After I had left the hospital I was back weeks later for another appointment and had written a big thank you card naming all the staff who were particularly good (pretty much all of them!). But for my head staff nurse lady I bought her a pedometer as we had joked how much she walks on her job and she had said that she had been meaning to get one for years. So, no, ordinarily I wouldn't do a gift (its already hideously expensive on hopsital costs) but she was really something else. I do think though gifts like homemade cookies etc are lovely and if I were a nurse I would be just as happy with the effort with that as I would for a basket of gifts (which I think is a little over the top, IMHO, but that's a UK perspective).