Monday, 18 July 2016

No more nurseries in SA Hospitals



When I fell pregnant with Loghan the only 2 things I wanted for my birth was a c section and then to room in with my baby and even though I ended up with a c section it was an emergency c section due to prem birth and I didn’t get to room in with Loghan as he was rushed off to NICU just after he was born, it was extremely heart-breaking for me as I was told in order to successfully bond and breastfeed I needed to keep baby on me as much as possible and of course he was my baby and I wanted him with me it was only natural, I managed to breastfeed successfully thankfully and it did not affect my bond with Loghan but I do think it would have made things much easier and would have made such beautiful memories. 

When I fell pregnant with Gabriel my goals were the same and for one glorious day I got to have him with me in the maternity ward, he slept on my chest he fed and it was wonderful, until on day two when he was taken off to NICU as he picked up an infection post birth, I cried like a baby as I held my breast pump in my hands to the point that a very lovely tea lady came to sit beside me and offer some words of comfort, I cannot explain how much she did for me with just a few words I went from depressed to determined.

Jesse unfortunately also ended up in NICU so again I was denied the opportunity of rooming in with my baby but with him I went in determined that if anything should happen I would not let it bring me down…

That brings us to the title of this post and the subject of nurseries in hospitals, now as I said I really wanted to room in with my babies and having Gabriel even for that one day was just wonderful and I will always cherish that memory, if my babies had not ended up in NICU I would have happily kept them with me at all times as I personally felt that A- they were my babies they belonged with me and after leaving the hospital I would not have the nurses around to help or take baby so I could get some sleep, I also felt that with regards to breastfeeding there is a greater chance of success if baby is kept on or close to you as much as possible in the first weeks following birth, also having baby with you left less chance of a formula top up giving by a nurse who didn’t want to wake you.

I know there are moms out there who love the idea and made use of their hospital nurseries and honestly I think that you should be given the opportunity to a point, birth can be very traumatic, a woman who has been in labour for days without sleep or a woman who is having trouble post a c section may be better off taking a nap before taking on full care of her baby, every mom and baby is different and I feel that that the moms state of mind is crucial for babies care especially in the beginning where everything is new and especially for first time moms.

I had a wonderful time post c section I didn’t feel groggy and I couldn’t wait to get up and move around but I have one friend who had a terrible time and who was snarked at and ignored by nurses when she pleaded with them to take her baby, she then started throwing up and almost dropped her baby thankfully the woman next to her took her baby before that happened, every mom and baby is different and personally as much as I didn’t feel the need or desire for nursery care I do not feel it is something that should be all together taken away, I think it should be allowed however if the mom continues to ask then she should be told no more or should be referred to her doctor as to why she is requesting constant help, maybe it is a case of post-partum blues, maybe there is something else she is feeling unwell maybe something was missed?

What do you think, do you think they should be doing away with it all together, did you make use of the nursery yourself?

No comments:

Post a Comment