This blog is in response to some comments made on another blog that I recently wrote about a man who was stunned with a tazer gun and as a result dropped his baby, whom he was trying to carry out of the hospital.
Clearly, after hospital and police statements were made, the picture has changed slightly. However, I find in talking with new moms that what I call “the hospital staff bully” phenomenon, is alive and well, even if there is more to this one particular story. While most of us probably have more common sense and access to resources to fight our case, I have to wonder if this man did. It brings up a good discussion: when does the hospital staff over step their bounds in dealing with new mothers and their babies? At what point does a parent have the right to dissent with the course of treatment and it not be called a criminal act of child endangerment or child neglect?
Our Story
Our third daughter was born in a different hospital than our first two children. I went with a different obstetrician who was more mother friendly, but sadly, the hospital he practices at is not baby friendly. They had very strict and rigid rules about when the babies had to go and one nurse even told me to “tank her up” because I may not see her for 3 or more hours until they were done with their daily routine with all the babies.
Those of you who breastfeed know that newborn babies eat when they eat. They may choose to eat every 45 minutes or they may go an hour and a half but I have never had a baby not eat for three hours. Despite our protests, this rigid pattern was ‘enforced’ by a nurse administrator who insisted that I was hormonal.
Of course I was hormonal. . .I had just given birth. They’re supposed to be–but I was right in regards to breastfeeding on demand. However, I succumbed to the pressure because I was tired, and sore and didn’t feel like arguing. I requested that if the baby cried, she be brought to me, or if the nurses were too busy that I be paged to go and get her.
Apparently, this request was deemed unacceptable and I was labeled a breastfeeding fanatic. I then had a ‘lactation consultant’ come into my room and explain to me how babies can receive breast milk and bottles and it would be fine. Nipple confusion is rare. She further told me that my request to have the baby not receive bottles was too strenuous on the staff. Seriously.
Come back tomorrow to see what happened.