Delivery room and Swine flu

[AussieMum]

I am due in around 8 weeks, and may I add that if my hospital doesn't allow my husband into the delivery room, then I will go and have the baby where my husband is allowed, even if that is in the corridor, reception or carpark. I will refuse for my husband to not be there, and this will be my second baby. He helped me get through the birth the first time, and there is no way I will tolerate him not being there the second time. Hopefully we don't have to go down this track. Best of luck to all the ladies approaching their delivery!

 

[Peachstyle]

My wonderful husband has been fighting this all the way, for both our sakes. He spoke direct with the Patient's Relation Officer at Queen Elizabeth today. She has advised him that QE have now removed this ban. However, the Officer also said that it could be reinstated at any time depending on swine flu conditions. So, it seems we're still having to cross our fingers and see what happens on the big day.

Can I therefore encourage as many of you and your partners as possible, to express your feelings about this to the Patient Relations department at your individual hospitals. If you get no joy from them, go to the top and contact the Hospital Authority Patient Relations team on 2300-7125.

It should be a basic human right for a father to attend the birth of his child.

 

[welovebaby]

Aussiemum, i am also due around the same time as you and totally agree with you. i refuse not to have my husband with me when our second child is born. fingers crossed that QMH doesn't adopt this measure. it seems to be at the will of each individual hospital.

 

[AussieMum]

Hi welovebaby, thankfully I am full of really crazy hormones at the moment and no one would really want to pick a fight with me, especially in the throws of labour. Good luck with your labour (and everyone else), and hope you don't even have to enter the discussion of whether your husband can or can't enter into the room.

 

[hannah.e.law]

Just to let you ladies know, I didn't even have to put up a fight to have my husband there. He was allowed in as a matter of fact, no questions asked other than whether he had any symptoms of illness and they took his temperature. He was the only one they would allow in even if they volunteered to rotate in one at a time, so my parents had to wait in the hall.

And the little man is doing great! Couldn't ask for more!

 

[Hulda]

Hi all,
I am writing an article about this and trying to appeal to the hospitals to be more flexible and family friendly, i.e. allow husbands there and some other things as well. I am repetedly shocked to see how births are managed here, and I believe this is an urgent issue. So any stories that can be shared (pregnant or new mums), pls email to me,

Kind regards,
Hulda, midwife at Annerley
[email protected]

 

[Whale]

Stopping a support person from accompaning a woman in labour, is a violation of her basic human rights! No woman should ever have to endure labour (natural or c-section) without having someone she trust to support her.

My suggestions to anyone who is facing the possibility of having their support person bared from entering the labour room is as follows:
1) DEMAND that your support person stay with you. At no time let that person out of your sight. If they want to take you into the labour room without that person refuse to go. The bottom lines is 'Where you go...they go!' Don't take no for an answer and be prepared to be very assertive.
2) Handcuff yourself to your support person. Yes this sounds extreme, but they can't remove your support person without removing you.
3) Threaten to take the staff member to court if they try to stop your support person accompaning you in the delivery room. I suggestion "mental and emotional distress". For this to be a legitimate threat, it needs to be targeted at one or more staff members, not 'the hospital' or 'all of you'. Get their full names, employee numbers, registration numbers and ID numbers. They are required to give you all of these.

I hope these work for you. Be ready to insist on what you want to the point of being labelled a 'problem patient'. This is your labour, and you should be able to get what you need ie your support person.

 

[mama-to-be]

Hi - just wondering if there are any updates? As the numbers have increased to over a hundred, are the hospitals now all the more strict on husbands wanting to enter the labour room?

 

[AussieMum]

Hi, I was also wondering if there have been any updates. I visited my Ob today (am due in 5 weeks) and he said that Matilda has not imposed this (he also said he didn't agree with it either). I am however interested to hear if other hospitals have continued to enforce it, and how forceful they are in doing so. I still have 5 weeks to go and if there is a growing trend in hospitals doing this, I am sure it will only be a matter of time before all are doing so.

 

[Peachstyle]

Queen Elizabeth have said to me that fathers are now allowed into delivery rooms unless the ward is 'very busy'. They say they can change the policy at any time they choose though, but I think they've realised that there's no medical reason to stop fathers attending births. Keep up the pressure!