Maternity Unit Bans Children

[mrstgrlvr]

No really!!

Has anyone else come across this in their area?

My sister is about to give birth in a Glasgow hospital and it turns out that only sibling children are allowed to visit her and her baby in hospital. All other children are refused. It's their policy and its on their website!

It's causing us some upset in our family as I'll be looking after my sister's (now) 11 year old while she's in hospital having the baby. My neice is understandably keen to see her mum and first sibling as soon as possible, but I have a 2 year old of my own and most of the time have no one else I can leave her with. If we show up, my neice will get in but I'll have to wait outside with a (probably cranky) 2 year old after the 40 mile drive from my house to the hospital. So much for getting out the video camera to capture this special moment in our family.

The policy has never been mentioned in the course of my sister's care either. How many other unsuspecting families travel a distance with their kids, buy gifts etc, to visit a new member of the family and are refused entry?

Can anyone fathom what justification a maternity unit could have for such an anti-family and discriminatory policy? We're talking about family members visiting other healthy family members - not holding a creche in an intensive care unit! I'm really very grumpy about the whole thing.

Wondered if anyone can relate / explain..?

Yeah, they do it in Barnsley as well, or did 3 years ago when my niece was born. We were told it was to minimise spreading child lurgi to newborns.

I think that's the policy in many hospitals.
Anti-infection rather than anti-family.

Can't you just say that your 2 year old is your sisters child?

Probably because some parents ignore their kids while chatting to their mates/relatives and let their dc run up and down the corridor screeching.

Then there are the kids who get brought in visiting when they've got slapped cheek, etc.

The birth centre where I've just had ds2 has a no visitors at all policy, only birthing partners allowed and the hospital where I had ds1 had a siblings only policy.

I thought the no visitors policy a bit much (and was glad I was discharged after a few hours as ds1 would have been v upset not to be able to visit) but I can understand the siblings only policy - lack of facilities and germ issues etc make this reasonable IMO although difficult in your circs

yep, it's the same in all the hospitals round here, and has been for at least 7 years (when ds1 was born)

it's to help stop infections being introduced onto the ward

I think the midwives will know how many children the OPs sister has. When it's on her notes that this is her second baby they'll be a bit suspicious if you bring 2 in for visiting.

Tbh I'm not sure how strongly it is enforced. I didn't realise that they had this rule in Glasgow and my then 7 year old niece came into the ward to see my dd when she was born. I was in a 2 bed room and noone seemed to question whether she was a sibling.

It was policy as far back as the 60's, I have memories of being left in the car with my elder sister when my dad visited mum after she birthed my brother (dads didn't generally attend the actual birth back then.) Small children can carry childhood diseases which don't much bother adults but can be lethal to new babies.

It was the same in the hospital i had ds in.
Sorry.

Thanks ladies for all your replies. I guess I can kind of see the point if it's an infection control issue. But when these babies leave the hospital a few hours or days later, where are they going? A sterile oxygen tent? Are they not just going to come into contact with the children that would have visited them in the hospital, pets, cars, homes, shops, public transport etc? Do siblings not carry germs too? Can understand the stance in a special baby care unit but not a general ward, so I still reckon it's draconian and unnecessary. Not surprised it was happening in the 60s. Sounds like a policy from another era!

Sounds fair enough to me. Last thing I would have wanted was everyone elses germ-ridden children running riot just after I'd given birth.

This was the rule when I had all mine [oldest 15!]

But I think its more about not having heaos of kids on the rampage in the ward because as you say OP its not like theres any difference in a 24 hr old baby away from germs and a 25 hr old at home with germy cousins etc pawing them/

My DP came to visit with my step mum and our other children when I had my youngest and was spoken to sharply about bringing those children in, she just said HMMM when he explained those children were coming to see their mum!

It is standard policy here now, and thank goodness.

When I was in being induced with DS1, there was a girl in the bed opposite in for monitoring, and her mate showed up with her toddler (so no relation to the patient) and she stayed for 2 hours, the child was tired, whining, and it was hideous.

Can you not arrange to leave your toddler with someone for the afternoon while you take your niece to see her new sibling?

It's not just newborns though, there will be pregnant women there as well. Yes there may well be germs in the outside world but if you can minimise the germs in an enclosed space with a vulnerable group then it makes sense. I have seriously seen someone who knew their kid had slapped cheek onto a maternity ward. Slapped cheek is very dangerous for pregnant women.

I can see why you feel this way, but if I was on the same ward, the last thing I'd want us a bunch if children coming in to visit.

You're supposed to be able to rest after giving birth, difficult if you've got kids in there.

It was the same when I was in hospital nearly 17 years ago . They did turn a blind eye for me Ds I was in for nearly 2 months, so they let my nieces visit once or twice

My reasons are more to do with noise rather than germs

Yep, as everyone else has said, this is standard. It has applied in our local hospital for at least 15 years (when DS1 was born). We were told it was to do with germs aswell - some childhood diseases can be dangerous for pregnant women, german measles for example.

It's standard but if you really need to go in you can say the two yr old is the fathers child

I was looking after my nephew after my sister gave birth, as he was only 4 I had to take him in to see her but also had my Dd (also 4) with me so we said she was the fathers child from a previous relationship.

It's been policy for years here too.

DH was questioned a lot when he brought DD1 to see DD2 in hospital, that was only 6 years ago.

The hospital I had DS in didn't have that policy, or restricted visiting hours, and the huge family of the woman in the next bed arrived at 9 and left at 4. With bored seven year old twins. For two days.

I'm having a home birth this time and that is one of the reasons: with the exception of MIL, no-one will be banging repeatedly on the loo door and nobody apart from DS will be running around shrieking!

OP, I am totally not casting aspersions on your toddler - you are clearly in more difficult circumstances than most people what with distance & looking after your niece - just saying that maybe it is easier to say no to everyone than have to deal with bloody annoying families on a case by case basis.

Also, re infection, if a child does pass infection onto a newborn after they get home, it is going to be a relative who allows them through the door and therefore Not The Hospital's Fault for letting an unrelated child incubating chicken pox onto the ward.

OP, my hopital has the same policy. SIL and her DH came to visit me and their 6mo wasn;t allowed on the ward so SIL popped in and her DH sat with their baby.

It's not just your sister's baby they are thinking of, the hospital has a duty of care to provide a safe environment for all of it's babies.

You could either find alternative childcare for your 2 year old or take him and wait outside the ward while your neice goes in to see her new sibling.