Hospital bans 'cooing at babies' to protect their human rights

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here

Hmmm. On the one hand it seems ridiculous, on the other it seems sort of a security measure if strangers are coming up and touching a baby, especially if it's in the NICU where it may have health problems and/or have compromised immunity.

Yahoo. I hated bloody strangers sticking their hands in DS's fishbowl. Some people have no respect for the mum and baby's privacy

I must say that I coming round to this as a proposition. When I heard it on the news this morning I thought it sounded ridiculous (and indeed "violation of human rights" is just pure nonsense) but fair enough when you're in hospital with you baby you might not want all and sundry coming up and prodding the baby and asking you questions. not so much about the baby's human rights but about allowing the mother some P&Q and privacy

DD spent her first two weeks in NICU back in March. We were told when visiting her to "look at your baby only" and when taking photos not to include other babies in them. Once I got to know the other visiting parents (meeting the mums in the milk expressing room, for example) I went to the babies' cots and looked at them and they came to DD's cot too. In that context (SCBU) these measures seemed just right. This was at Kingston Hospital.

The 'human rights' bit is daft (but then this 'human rights' carp is so skewed it makes me want to scream anyway.

ARRGGGHHHHHHHHHHH

See?

But as to saying hands off the babies, I agree. They are not toys, it is a good infection control measure, and it did drive me bonkers when the world and his wife copped a feel without so much as a by-your-leave (just like I hated people patting my stomach when I was pregnant!

Frankly I think it's a lot of tosh. How about a poster saying "What makes you think I want to be ignored?"?

Of course people shouldn't touch or photograph other's babies without the parent's permission, but to ignore them? And I'm shocked, Cristina7, that you were not allowed to touch your baby! Babies thrive on attention and physical contact.

If the hospital values its patients' human rights, then it should ensure that staff knock on doors, introduce themselves, ask permission to handle the patient or the baby, explain what they are doing, not disturb patients during mealtimes, ensure that patients eat as much as they want or need...the list is endless.

Oh no, PrettyCandles, I expressed myself wrongly. What they meant was only look at your own baby, not someone else's, rather than only look at your baby and don't touch him. They encouraged kangaroo care for the tiny babies (and others too).

BTW I liked your list, PrettyCandles.

I wouldn't dream of touching somebodies baby unless invited to do so. Common courtesy would dictate that you didn't subject a mother to 20 questions unless she was encouraging you. Security and infection control are also important issues here.

Infringements of human rights is about torture and denial of basic freedoms, I get extremely angry with idiots who abase the term in this way.

good

it irritated me when strangers and other peoples relatives peered into dd1's plastic cot and commented on her horrible bruising

Cristina, oops - that makes complete sense to me!

Triceratops, I concur!

I agree with Prettycandles on this.

Nobody I didn't know ever cooed at my baby anyway. They're all too busy coo-ing at the babies of the people they've come to visit. Where are these wards where all and sundry (who are not professionals) are coming up and touching your baby without your permission? The only people who did that were the medical staff. Aren't all maternity wards locked so that no-one can get in unless they are visiting someone specific?

And surely common or garden visitors aren't allowed in NICU units without the mother's permission anyway, are they?

Cristina7, my ds was also in SCBU for 3 weeks after birth, and we were told the same thing, not to look at other people's babies when we visited, which I thought was fair.

The problem, however, was reminding grandparents in particular not to do this. I realise that people naturally enjoy looking at babies, particularly new-borns, but we were embarrassed at our elderly relatives pointing and cooing through the glass at the other tiny, helpless bundles, as though they were exhibits. I know that I would have been very upset if I'd known there was a possibilty of strangers looking and commenting on my ds in my absence.

For this reason, I find that the ban on cooing at the West Yorkshire isn't at all surprising or extreme.

..but I agree with Triceratops'definition of the terms which should be used in such circumstances. Saying that it's "infringement of human rights" is going over the top. It's just common courtesy that's the issue here.

I think it's fairly easy on the usual ward to fend off unwanted attention if you're there, you draw the curtain, look unapproachable etc. In NICU some of the babies haven't got their parents 24/7, especially those who've been longer there, so it would be easier to have a quick peep at the card with name, weight at birth, the baby himself.

My first baby was born midday, so they took us across the public corridor from the labour suite to the post-natal wards while a lot of people were walking through. I remember even 20 years later feeling really wound up when 2 elderly ladies bent over the cot to peer at my brand new baby. She was only a couple of hours old and not even her grandparents had seen her yet.

My boys were all clever enough to be born during the night

It is infuriating that what is for the most part a thoroughly sensible measure (protect babies from infection) is made to appear ridiculous by citing the increasing devalued 'human rights' angle. Why couldn't they just say 'we want to protect the health of young and vulnerable babies, so don't touch 'em if they're not yours'. Are babies bothered by being cooed at? I doubt it somehow. Seems like this right-on NHS bureaucrat was trying to justify their existence!

On a lighter note, did anyone read the bit about the World Toilet Forum in Belfast in the mn newsletter?? Wander what exactly the delegates discuss at such a forum..?!