When a mother enters to give birth to a hospital, she obviously does it with her baby. And when he leaves, he obviously goes with his baby. Unless one of the two has a problem and then one requires more days of admission than the other.
At that point there are hospitals that deserve a suspense in empathy and common sense, as in this case the Igualada Hospital, in Catalonia, where a mother suffered a postpartum that she never imagined: outrageous, having to sleep in a sack to be with your baby.
Separated at birth
Sometimes it happens, the baby is born with risk of infection or another complication and requires antibiotic treatment. It is fortunate that this is detected and can help babies stay alive where in the past many died.
The mother of whom I speak is called Laura, and a few weeks ago she gave birth to a beautiful girl. With little more than 24 hours of life they were separated to be able to control it better and to administer antibiotics by the route. This was very sad for her, but luckily for both of them, they were able to stay together as long as they wanted.
The first night, the two were admitted to the hospital and, consequently, she could get up as many times as her daughter needed food. But on the second night, as a mother who has given a healthy light, she was discharged, losing that privilege: she no longer had a room, a bed, or anything like her. Only some uncomfortable chairs next to his daughter.
They explained that milk could be taken and go home at night and that they would give him the bottles, and if that was not enough, they would make bottles of artificial milk. This, for a mother who wants to breastfeed her baby is a very hard setback, because they force you to separate from your baby, and not only that, is that it is to put obstacles without need, by a health entity. What is the point of the girl being admitted for her health and they force you to do something that is not the best for her?
And Laura said that she didn't move from there
The girl was 3 days old and she said she didn't move. Too small to separate from her mother. On the other hand, the milk had not risen yet and was in the typical and logical process of adaptation between mother, baby and breast. What was there painting in the middle of a bottle? On the other hand ... being able to breastfeed directly, why pump milk? It is an overwork for the mother, a mess for the baby and a possible future problem (that the baby does not want the tit).
And finally, he thought it made no sense that an adult person could be accompanied at night in a reclining chair and that a baby does not have the same right, precisely when the person accompanying him is his mother.
So did not move from there, decided not to leave his daughter alone, and therefore spoke with the supervisor of the plant, to explain his decision and request a more comfortable chair in which he could rest a little at night.
"It's not normal that you want to stay with your daughter"
And this is the answer he received. That they did not leave her chair and that it was not normal to stay with her baby, but to go home to sleep and rest. But how will a mother who is not psychologically comfortable rest physically? Any mother would sleep anyway, suffering the unspeakable on a physical level, in exchange for knowing her baby's care, doing what the heart asks (right?).
So that's what he did Laurabring a sleeping bag from home and throw it on the floor at night to rest with your daughter. Three nights. Three long nights in a sack and nobody in the hospital dropped his face in shame as if to say "I don't bring you a chair, no: I bring you a bed".
The postpartum he never imagined
And so he says in his blog, that he would have never imagined having to pass the postpartum like this, lying on the floor to take care of his daughter, and what luck that had gone well in childbirth and she was fine:
And you know what? I do not regret anything, on the contrary. Being there with the girl, being able to breastfeed her, being able to comfort her and catch her when she cried, be able to hug her, change her diapers and, ultimately, play a mother, compensated for sleeping on the floor, but it shouldn't have been that way.
At three days, both home
After those three days the two could finally go home. He does not blame the professionals, of whom he speaks very well, but the supervisor, who did not want to have a gesture towards this and other families: because if it happened with Laura and her daughter, sure happens every day with other families that they do not make the same decision of not separating from their baby (for me the fault is a bit of everyone, because you put a chair or a bed on it and point ... that the supervisor takes it out if it has value. But I do not want to enter the fear because I have not lived it and I do not know how everything went exactly).
The desired shared income
And it seems that in this country it is hard to understand that mother and baby are an inseparable pair. That the only difference to a pregnant woman is that the baby is no longer inside, because otherwise one still depends absolutely on the other.
If a baby is admitted your mother should be able to enter with the baby too, with a bed at your disposal to rest, to breastfeed the baby, to calm him when necessary, cradle and care for him.
And if a mother is admitted, Your baby should be able to enter with her in case she can, and wants, because how many mothers have a terrible time for not being able to feed their children, or sleep with them, because they are not allowed to be together, when the problem is administrative.
I can only thank this mom for sharing her story and encouraging the rest of the parents to defend the rights of babies and mothers to be together forever, and more if the separation is for health reasons. Fight for your children and your motherhood, because if you don't do it, nobody else will.
