To be livid about hand hygiene offence?

[Yummymummy2020]

To cut it short but rant. Partners family taking offence at being asked to use hand sanitiser or wash hands before handling our new baby. Particular offence taken at asking the children to use it. I know I’m not unreasonable wanting hand hygiene to be followed before touching our new born, but I feel like really distancing myself from them over this. It’s not just about the corona virus I’m concerned about the baby picking up anything as they are so young. To add to this, certain members are living with a currently sick person which I feel makes it even more crucial to ensure their hands are clean. Would it be really unreasonable to just keep away until the baby has their vaccinations? I know this won’t solve colds/flu but at least the child can have calpol if they do get sick. I’m also annoyed for being called odd by them for wanting them to make sure to use the gel or wash their hands. I have the gel by the way I’m not demanding anyone track it down. I’m livid right now so don’t want to say/ act on anything in haste!

Ok Bored you got me she said involve spitting
Not dribbling. Pedantic much?

I've never known anyone spit on a baby either, was the point. I guess you missed that.

I'm not sure what you think to imagine I am hysterical what a poor choice of words tonuse against a woman. Was that deliberate.

Don't worry, I don't care what your thoughts are particularly. Just so you know, no, no hysteria here and no need for you to go round telling women to calm down silly.

How do you think babies build their own immunity if they are not exposed to any bacteria. You are being way over the top, washed hands yes but antibacterial gel really?

I never asked anyone to wash hands before holding our newborn. Some people did, but wasn’t something I was bothered about really.

Mind you she was in my stable whilst I mucked out from a few days old so I clearly have low standards!

I’m not sure what you think to imagine I am hysterical what a poor choice of words tonuse against a woman.

Having read your utterly ridiculous posts, I’m perfectly sure why she wrote that!

utterly ridiculous posts

Notsobad yourself there Drop

How did your baby ever survive Megan

I can't believe people come into the house and don't wash their hands, newborn or not.

Just so dirty.

As a midwife, I wash my hands before touching any baby (or other patient). 5 moments of hand hygiene.
Apparently your hysterical post insists this simply isn’t enough and what...I shouldn’t bother if I haven’t donned a full hazmat suit?!
Pull your head in.

pull your head in

At it again, nice midwife

#bekind

As a midwife, or any professional handling my babies or touching me absolutely should be cleansing themselves before any contact! This doesn't need saying...does it ..surely we don't need to be pointing out the bloody obvious.

You're a midwife, a stranger, who has to daily manage cross infection risks so you must never touch babies without consent or cleansing.

Not sure why this is appropriate or relevent here clue its not

If you want to goad any more you'll be disappointed

How strange you think that supporting basic hand hygiene is goady.

I’m glad you appreciate the importance of hand hygiene when a nurse, midwife or anyone else touches you or your baby. Utterly perplexed why you don’t think this extends to family and friends.

¯\(ツ)/¯.

As a midwife, you're a stranger and as youre aware, talking about strangers and close contacts is talking about two distinct groups.

You deal with strangers all day, who carry any number of viruses that you cannot hope to know of.

People live with staph up their noses, yet you, as a midwife could kill a baby with that.

We know that hospital can be the worst place to take a baby, or to go to when you're ill because of exposure to germs.

Shrugging isn't really very grown up is it, is this how you treat those in your care.

Its a bit childish for some one with such a responsible position.

Its goady to be so obtuse. Do you see that?

Only strangers carry pathogens apparently.

Obtuse

All my friends with children would wash their hands once they come in my door without being asked to. I'm very grateful how thoughtful they are. Anyway, visitors are coming to your house. So it's your rules no matter it's hand washing or taking off their shoes.

Dear god, the ignorance on this thread is absolutely astonishing.

Newborn babies do not have a functioning immune system. They do not need exposore to viruses in order to develop one - they comes later. Why do you think vaccinations aren’t started until 8 weeks?

And getting immunity from breast milk only works if it’s something the mother has already built immunity too.

I can only assume that those responding as below have never seen a tiny baby with RSV, bronchiolitis, norovirus, rotavirus, whooping cough?

One of my twins caught whooping cough shortly before the 8 week vaccinations. We spent 11 nights in HDU where I saw a constant stream of seriously ill newborns, most of whom had been full term, healthy babies. Just because your baby didn’t get sick doesn’t mean there isn’t an issue.

A friend of mine has a baby who caught herpes 1 in NICU. And they still don’t know where from. Not from her parents, who don’t have it. Only parents and staff are allowed to hold babies. She was transferred between two hospitals and had various tests so it could have come from a range of people. Would have been passed on by touch. Cold sores are communicable before symptoms show and can literally kill a small baby.

Has the world gone mad! Its never occurred to me to make my excited newborn baby visitors wash their hands...just wowzer.

Wowzer indeed

Its not unreasonable to ask those who are unwell to stay away until they are not infectious, but blimey this is going so OTT.

You do realise that most viruses are infections before symptoms present? If they weren’t they’d be practically eradicated by now.

#bekind

The irony. After telling the mother of a preemie to “get a grip”, no less (which you would have known had you RTFT rather than spinning off into outrage)

There was no such thing as hand sanitizer when my kids were born and it would never have occurred to me to ask people to wash their hands before touching the baby and they never caught a cold until they started nursery (when they seemed to catch one every bloody week).It's a little bit precious but I understand the anxiety about the coronavirus.

Do you make them soak their clothes in dettol, or do you only consider germs on hands?

FFS it's not OTT. Newborns are at a much higher risk of nasty complications to very commonplace bugs. They can't take much by the way of medication to ease symptoms either. No one's saying it should be the case forever more but it is advised under three months.

With PFB I got everyone to wash their hands. With 2nd for the 1st couple months I didnt as I thought I was being precious with the 1st. I wasnt. Poor DC2 got sick a lot in those 2 months and it was highly stressful.
Just be firm. If they want to touch or hold the baby they have to wash hands.

Yes building up immunity is good. But that can wait until after vaccination and when they're a little stronger. Trust me- having a baby under 2 with a temperature is not fun as you end up in hospital.

Reading through this thread ... wow. There are some really nasty and ignorant posts.

Awful

Pressed too soon
...end up in hospital with a 5 week old having a lumbar puncture and blood tests, on IV antibiotics which destroy her stomach flora still months later just in case is was meningitis. (No complaints about hospital, would much rather they were over cautious than under!)
For the sake of washing hands, just totally unreasonable for anyone to disagree.

Of babies don't have an immune system until 3 months why are their first vaccines given at 8 weeks?

OP your drip feed about a prem baby mean YANBU.

YANBU, OP. Your visitors are being rude and thoughtless. It looks like they think they know better and/or are trying to make a point. I’d simply not have them visit if they can’t do this one easy thing.

FWIW, one of my DC was in NICU and I was sent home with a bottle of the same anti-bac gel they used in there.

NICU had a very strict regime for visitors of hand washing very thoroughly then anti bac gel. According to some posters here, that was very silly of them because ‘a little bit of dirt never hurt anyone’ and very young babies need exposure to lots of lovely germs ‘to build up their immune system’. 🙄

Carry on as you are, OP, and limit thoughtless visitors. It’s not worth the risk - or the hassle.

Never crossed my mind to request this with my babies though I suppose currently I might be more cautious