weird plunket vibe..............
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Topic: weird plunket vibe..............
Posted By: cuppatea
Subject: weird plunket vibe..............
Date Posted: 18 September 2007 at 1:25pm
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Ok, have just been to plunket for 3 month check and got a really weird vibe from them. The first visit at home was a lady from a different area as mine was on holiday and that was fine, have been to family centre for help with day sleeps and that was fine, but this visit was weird. I can't really explain it, she didn't really say anything to offend me but I came away feeling like I don't really want to ever go back. Is very odd, can't pinpoint exactly what it was, but I almost felt like when she asked me something she didn't really believe the answers i gave, but not even really that, I don't know. I kinda felt like i was on trial?!?!?!?
Has anyone else had a weird experience with them or is it just me? ------------- 
 
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Replies:
Posted By: my2angels
Date Posted: 18 September 2007 at 1:43pm
| what area are you in? Ive had a bad run with plunket nurses in chch. My friend in riccarton loves her one though so maybe we just have bad luck with ours. |
Posted By: Rachael21
Date Posted: 18 September 2007 at 3:21pm
| what area is that? A lot of people don't really like plunket. |
Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 18 September 2007 at 3:39pm
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I'm in Kaiapoi -------------
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Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 18 September 2007 at 4:41pm
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There are often nurses like that, sadly. There is one I have met in our area who I particularly don't like - she comes across bossy and old-fashioned (she is older) etc and has the only right way *rolls eyes*. I talked about it with my 'real' plunket nurse the following time and it turns out the one I don't like is commonly not liked and is a reliever. So I just watch out that I don't get her for appointments any more. -------------  |
Posted By: mummy_becks
Date Posted: 18 September 2007 at 6:55pm
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I have the same feelings as busymum and I think we may have the same feelings about the same plunket nurse as well. ------------- I was a puree feeder, forward facing, cot sleeping, pram pushing kind of Mum... and my kids survived! |
Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 18 September 2007 at 6:57pm
Sadly Becks, we've talked about your gripe nurse before and I don't know her.... so there's at least two in Palmy plus the smoker one  ------------- |
Posted By: Candkids
Date Posted: 18 September 2007 at 7:06pm
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i had a HORRIBLE plunket lady with sarah, she basicly told me i was a bad mum for having put her on formula and that young people shouldnt have kids!!!
nedless to say i gave plunket the cut after that!! and just took sarah to my GP for her checks. however this time i have a really lovely lady :) ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow">  DD 10.5yrs DS 6yrs DS 11mths 5 little angles watching from above |
Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 18 September 2007 at 7:21pm
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Glad is not just me then, like I say couldn't pinpoint what it was, don't have to go back until the 5 month visit now and I might not bother. We don't have an open clinic here but I can use the one in Rangiora so might just go to that instead and do his checks at the gp. -------------
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Posted By: jaz
Date Posted: 18 September 2007 at 7:41pm
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A friend of mine decided not to go to Plunket with no.4 as she felt she knew what she was doing by then and Plunket turned up on her door unannounced one day to check up on her. The way it came across was that they were making sure the baby wasn't being neglected/abused. WTF? ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 18 September 2007 at 7:46pm
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That's terrible, it is optional after all. -------------
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Posted By: jaz
Date Posted: 18 September 2007 at 7:48pm
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Yep, she had decided someone else that needed it could use her visits more than she did. ------------- http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: Bombshell
Date Posted: 18 September 2007 at 9:02pm
| we have east auckland ones and I am sooo not their biggest fan....I now attend the asian sessions with an asian plunket nurse....I am european as is whole family but she treats us better than anyone else did....and I do have a golden piggy so Ella is treated like gold!!! |
Posted By: Leelee
Date Posted: 18 September 2007 at 9:02pm
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My sister is in Kaiapoi too and has a 3mth old, my niece was prem and her plunket nurse doesnt understand the whole corrected age thing, apparently its her first time as a plunket nurse. My sister gets the same feelings you do. She is always questioned bout things time and time again especially about her Dh. In the end my sister had a word to her outreach nurse. ------------- http://lilypie.com" rel="nofollow"> 
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Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 18 September 2007 at 9:17pm
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Hey leelee, i'm glad its not just me then, weren't sure whether I was just being over sensitive our something. -------------
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Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 19 September 2007 at 7:11am
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I worked out what the weird feeling was, it is the same way I have always felt when leaving either a job interview or a performance review. -------------
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Posted By: 11111
Date Posted: 19 September 2007 at 8:13am
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Not read all the reply's, but CHANGE to a new well child provider i use the Maori one here and they are awsome. ------------- Deborah Mum to:   
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Posted By: Two Blondinis
Date Posted: 19 September 2007 at 8:45am
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I don't like our Plunket Nurse either (personality clash) and always felt that the questions were angled to check up on me. But I guess they are just doing their jobs and making sure the baby is ok etc. I guess it upsets us Mums that would never harm our kids (and have never been harmed by their partner/father of bubs) and I did have the "how dare you ask that!" opinion until I realised that there are very few people that come around to see the new family to make sure it is all ok and therefore provide support in situations where the baby/mum needs help.
We only see Plunket every couple of months now so I just put up with the questions like "and how is everything at home?" whilst she slides a sneeky look at DH  ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
 
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Posted By: my2angels
Date Posted: 19 September 2007 at 8:58am
| I just had a phonecall from my plunket lady and orignally the last one had booked an appt for addi and kobe at the same time (him for his 3yr check) but this is a new nurse and she said they dont do the 3yr ones anymore because they dont get paid for them and if she did it she wouldnt get paid. Come on how hard would it have been for her to just weigh and measure him and make a wee comment in his book. Its not like there was a specific appt just for him that she would have had to fit in plus the appt was already made before they stopped the funding. I thought that was a bit rude but oh well. I hated one plunket nurse, she was telling people about the 'poor wee baby with a cleft' little did she know that she spoke to a friends friend about it who clicked who she was talking about, so much for confidentiality...not impressed. |
Posted By: SMoody
Date Posted: 19 September 2007 at 9:35am
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I used the Howick one first and wasnt impressed. She continued about my child being so small and it is due to extended BFding ect. And then started with me that perhaps McKayla has an iron deficiency due to her skin tone and is she like lethargic ect. (hello miss overactive here)
So we made the next one at Pakuranga for over the weekend and Grant went with. He was so ready to fight them about the extended BFding and was going to tell them why do they have all the posters up of BF is best ect ect. But we got someone really nice that told me McKayla look small but it looks like from birth she was like this and so therefor it is normal for her and to continue to BF. So definately going to see if I can get the same one for the 2 year old check. They did ask questions about homelife ect and I thought now how is this suppose to look that hubby came with. Bad? (as in he is checking up that I am not telling them all sorts of supposed lies) Or Good? (as in here is a dad that is involved with his kids deveolpment so came along to the visit.) mmm yeah is all I can say. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 19 September 2007 at 10:03am
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Yeah it was not really home life stuff that bothered me, she did ask if I felt safe at home which I do, it was more like she was talking to me like I was stupid, which might just be her way I suppose. She also seemed to think that my mastitis would be caused by bad latching which I don't get, and besides I was feeding him just EBM for the last 3 weeks and even though I was expressing 3 hourly during the day and 4 hourly during the night with a double electric pump I still got it again so I don't really get what I was suppose to do to stop it. I think bfing for 3 months whilst getting mastitis 5 times I should get a medal not be made to feel like I could have latched him on better. -------------
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Posted By: meow
Date Posted: 19 September 2007 at 7:09pm
I actually found it good that they asked about things at home. It was great to have someone to listen to my struggles with having a baby who didn't sleep all night, and how sleep deprived I was. Also DP's work was getting stressful for both of us, and things weren't easy sometimes. I guess I was lucky that I mostly got lovely Plunket nurses. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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SMoody wrote:Posted By: Bombshell
Date Posted: 19 September 2007 at 7:56pm
| LOL Shirena - when DH got grumpy the nite Ella was born and refused to leave the hospital (his baby was 4 hours old!!!) the nurse left and came back when he had gone and questioned me about Domestic VIolence.....LMAO she was so embarassed when i told her what i did for a living i never saw her again! Then the Plunket nurse aplogised for having to ask me when i told her what i did...LMAO!!! |
Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 19 September 2007 at 7:57pm
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I think it's the combination of them coming across as being all know-all and judgemental (whether they are or aren't, a lot come across that way), and then asking about home life, that makes all the difference. ------------- |
Posted By: fadeless
Date Posted: 19 September 2007 at 11:03pm
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I have never been impressed with any of our plunket nurses apart from one who had only just moved here from the UK and was lovely!! Only saw her for a few visits and then she left. Once I had a really young lady, early 20's with no kids and it was kinda weird because how are they supposed to know how to deal with the problems that we have, when they havent experienced it and only learnt it from a book! Also they have lost the file on DD2 and i had to ring up several time to even get an appointment for DS's 15mth check and ended up getting an appointment for next month, he will be nearly 17mths! Also hated the way the just drop in to 'check on you' i find it very rude especailly when it was my third and was just about to go out!
A friend of mine also got told off for breastfeeding so long and to put her DD on formula because she wasnt gaining enough weight, her DD was happy and healthy and not underfed. She never went back to plunket after that! ------------- DD 9 ~ DD 8 ~ DS 7 ~ DS 5 ~ DS 2 ~ DS 14mths ~ DD 3mths |
Posted By: aimeejoy
Date Posted: 20 September 2007 at 8:51am
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So with the 3 year one not being funded now, does that mean they get a check at 2 yrs then not again until 5? ------------- Aimee Hannah 22/10/05 Greer 11/02/08 |
Posted By: lottieandharry
Date Posted: 20 September 2007 at 7:13pm
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Hey cuppatea. We use Plunket in Rangiora and our nurse is pretty good most of the time! So just come on up to the open clinic and maybe see if you can see Rangiora Plunket nurse instead for your next appointments. Your plunket nurse is just new isn't she the other one left about 3-4 months ago? I don't know much about the Kaiapoi Plunket. But if she made you feel bad don't go to her again you don't need to be made to feel like that!! ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: S Brochocka
Date Posted: 21 September 2007 at 10:16am
| I know Plunket is something that is unique to New Zealand and a really good thing - most countries have no support system like this at all, must be particularly great for young mum's, or single mums....BUT from my experience, my ante natal groups experience and reaing these posts there is massive room for improvement. They are hugely inconsistent in their advice, as is Plunketline. one nurse told me she expected my six month old to wake 'once if not twice' for feeding in night, while another said 'should't need feeding in night at all'...I think it would be a great 'Oh Baby' idea to forward these posts to Plunket, and perhaps ask the 'oh baby' community to volunteer their good and bad stories as as far as I can see they have no feedback system so how they are assessing their quality of service I have no idea. i think its done more on a % of babies seen at 3months, 6months etc etc, rather than actually teh quality of the interactions. Seems to me most of us either just don't go back, complain to each other, or simply sit and nod and then do our own thing so the nurses and plunket have no idea some of them are doing a rubbish job. Also those nurses and areas that are doing a great job shoudl be recognised. |
Posted By: MelanieAndBree
Date Posted: 21 September 2007 at 11:49am
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im scared of going to plunket now! lol ------------- Melanie. Mum to Briahna Robyn, 3yrs |
Posted By: yummymummy
Date Posted: 21 September 2007 at 12:06pm
Don't be! I have found them OK so far and sometimes even quite helpful! So what if they ask how are things at home - they just want to make sure mum & baby are OK. I just say great and leave it at that. I do find our nurse is quite nice and will not judge my decisions. We had always planned to switch to formula at 6 months and she did not say a thing. Overall, I've had a positive experience with both our Plunket nurse and the Plunket phone helpline.  ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: MelanieAndBree
Date Posted: 21 September 2007 at 12:19pm
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I dont mind them asking about things at home. I just hope i get a nice nurse! lol.
When i was in the maternity unit after i had bub i got a real mean lady and she made me cry lol. The rest of them were really helpful and nice but this one was a bitch!!. I dont want that to happen again!! ------------- Melanie. Mum to Briahna Robyn, 3yrs |
Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 21 September 2007 at 12:39pm
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Yeah my own LMC made me cry, won't be using her next time. I have had two good experiences with plunket and one weird one, I wouldn't say it was a bad experience. I have heard some real horror stories. I think S Brochocka is right about there needing to be some kind of feedback system. One lady from coffee group ended up in tears at her first (and last) plunket visit because the plunket nurse didn't agree with co sleeping and made out like she was being a bad mum and endangering her daughter by co sleeping, which is crazy and wrong.
I say see plunket, if the lady is nice great, if not just don't go again or use a different centre. I am just gonna go to the open clinic from now on but I wouldn't hesitate to use the family centre again as they were so lovely there. -------------
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Posted By: Tastic
Date Posted: 21 September 2007 at 5:55pm
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