Re: [ozmidwifery] Mother friendly hospitals

[Judy Chapman]

This is one reason the people of Mareeba fought so hard for their maternity ward. We have 3 rooms which used to be two bedded and have been converted to just one with a Queen size bed, TV, fridge, table and chairs and an easy chair. Partners are welcome to stay as are close others if partner not available. I have known a time when we could not get into a room because of the swags on the floor. The family lived a long way out and stayed like that a couple of days. She did not really require help from us, just the ability to get the bonding going with the rest of her children.
Even if the 3 rooms are in use, we put a camp stretcher for the visitor in a single room and as soon as a double is avilable they move. It is a lovely way to work.
Cheers
Judy

John & Jenny Turnbull <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

Brenda I love your idea!
Weather a hospital is baby or mother friendly or not, is kind of a moot
point these days, you are booted out the door so fast.
When I had my first child, having just moved to a small country town, no
friends or family I was very much on my own, in reflection it was quite a
lonely experience. Having some where to stay longer than a few days, for
women who have no support would make all the difference. It would be
fantastic to see a trust started for lower income women who could apply to
the trust to have a doula for support during the birth and in the first
weeks and months (maybe it could be government funded??? here's hoping). I
am only just being to realise how important the experience a mother has in
the first few weeks and months of her babys life really is to her, what an
imprint it leaves on her heart and psyche.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Barbara Glare & Chris Bright"!
To:
Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2005 6:03 AM
Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Mother friendly hospitals


> Hi,
>
> I really disagree that baby friendly hospitals are OK for the baby but
> tough on the mother. And if your baby friendly hospital is tough on the
> mother, then you should be looking at why - because it shouldn't be that
> way. The newborn mother and baby are a unit. They both surely need to be
> cared for as though they were one. I think it's part of the problem of
> society that mothers and babies are pitted against each other almost from
> birth.
>
> Mothers and babies are both usually happier and calmer when together. If
> a mother is of the believe that she needs the baby away from her to rest,
> a common enough belief in our society, maybe all that needs to happen is a
> little empathy and g! ood explanations from the staff "I know you are tired,
> but what we find is that mothers and babies actually rest better when they
> rest together." Just like you would explain to a mum that she doesn't need
> to rush off straight away and have a shower - there'll be time for that
> later. Her baby needs to smell her familiar smell and get to know his mum
> (and breastfeed)
> Surely hospitals can be flexible enough for staff to take the baby for a
> while if needed - carrying in a sling is great modelling for the mum and
> keeps baby calm, or dad or grandma can help out.
>
> For every mother I hear when I'm assessing baby friendly hopitals who say
> they would have liked a nursery, I hear many, many more whom the staff
> told that they must be tired and they would take the baby so the mother
> could rest - the mothers lay unsleeping and rigid in their beds, worrying
> if that baby t! hey could hear crying was their baby.
>
> Barb
> ----- Original Message -----
> From:
> To:
> Sent: Wednesday, November 23, 2005 12:27 AM
> Subject: Re: [ozmidwifery] Mother friendly hospitals
>
>
>> Wouldn't it ?
>> I always say baby - friendly is OK for the baby but often it's really
>> tough on the mothers.
>> We ought to be able to do service to both, compromise being the operative
>> word.
>> The old days of 'lying in & convalescing' were good for mothers & babies,
>> I agree with the previous post about too much being expected of new
>> mothers. Especially after a C/S which after all is major surgery.
>> Yes, birth is a natural process but never the less it's exhausting, hard,
>> manual & mental labour. Women need to recover & recuperate to co! pe with
>> the demands of mothering, feeding & running a household.
>> The old 'lying in hospitals ' were not such a bad idea were they ? In
>> fact I've often thought of the need for a private facility offering those
>> services nowadays. Like an extended stay unit where women go post birth
>> for 1 or 2 weeks & get fed,nurtured, educated, assisted with feeding,
>> shown postnatal exercises, encouraged to rest, have massages, see
>> naturopaths re healing remedies if needed etc.
>> In fact Wholistic Care !!
>>
>> What do you think ?
>> Idealistic ??
>>
>>
>>
>>> Dean & Jo wrote:
>>>
>> Ahhh!
>> mother friendly hospitals...now that would be worth pursuing!
>>
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