Petition to not birth alone!

[fizzandsparkle]

chng.it/Bx7NrrKKZ2

Please sign if you agree!

I think it’s fine everyone putting their opinions forward but unless you are actually about to give birth I think you should keep your opinions to yourself. It’s fine women saying ‘oh I did it on my own etc’ that was your choice, I chose to have a child with my OH and experience it together, now I’m being told I should just accept the fact that he’ll miss the birth of his one and only child?
The experience I’ve had of the midwives at my hospital (including after a car accident 3 weeks ago) have been nothing but negative. I fear without my partner I’ll be ignored and left in pain for hours at a time. We’ve also just had the option of having a home birth taken away from us too so apologies if us heavily pregnant women are freaking out at this time...

You aren't birthing alone, you are birthing with a trained professional. If the midwives all get infected then some people may indeed birth alone.

It's hard, but we all know births don't always goes to plan, and even if your partner isn't there, that's probably the least worst outcome tbh.

I'm due any day now hopefully and won't be signing, although I hope to have my DH with me if things get worse and they deem it not safe for hospitals to allow this anymore I will accept that its what's safest for mums and babies as well as the general population... that said of course I hope it doesn't come to it.

Nobody is suggesting anyone should go through birth alone - partners are still allowed. Stop scaremongering

But @CharlieB93 birth partners are allowed for active labour. Just not for hanging about the wards.

I chose to have a child with my OH and experience it together, now I’m being told I should just accept the fact that he’ll miss the birth of his one and only child?

When you choose to have a child there are a whole host if things you might have to accept that weren't in your original plan. That's even more the case when you're in the middle of a pandemic. Up and down the country there are people having to accept devastating changes to their lives; the loss of jobs and businesses, the death of partners, parents, children, the chance to say goodbye to loved ones before they die, the cancellation of life-saving/extending medical treatment. No-one is saying that your loss of your partner at the birth of his child isn't very real and very important to you - it clearly is and it's a very difficult and anxious time. What the majority are saying is that this is a sacrifice that is being asked of us in order to ensure the basic safety of women who have yet to deliver their babies and the safety of those who work with them. In the grand scheme of everything that's going on, I don't consider it too high a price to pay.

I’m having a c section in 3 weeks. Expecting twins and due to give birth in the hospital where dd1 was treated and later died. My anxiety is sky high and I have no idea how I will cope physically or mentally if I am alone. I also know I will be in a side room (unless none available) so surely the infection risk to the babies is actually higher having various different hcps coming in every time a baby cries rather than having DH there for the duration to help me feed them/ pick up etc.

Anyway, whilst I have signed, I don’t expect the policy to change and do understand these measures need to be taken to protect people, however damaging it may be to the MH of new mums.

I won't be signing either, and I say that as a very pregnant person going for a c section this week.

I don't know yet whether my hospital allows partners for the birth still; last week the policy for c sections was that they could be with you for the op and a while after, then had to leave until a one hour visiting slot later in the day.

If the policy has changed and partners can't be there at all, then so be it. I am a grown adult and will manage. A policy of completely excluding birth parters would halve the number of people coming on to the labour/postnatal ward. That's a massive reduction that will drastically reduce the risk of the staff and mothers and babies picking up the virus in hospital.

I think all visitors to hospitals should be stopped now, with the exception of a single parent to accompany children. I am not yet at the point where I'd be ok with a policy that meant parents signing over consent to the hospital, and children can't consent for themselves. Young children are also likely to be highly traumatised by being left in a hospital alone, and would be a childcare nightmare for staff.

Grown women can manage alone if they have to. Not ideal, not what pregnant people are currently coached towards in the antenatal period, but completely possible if it is needed to protect other women and the staff that are needed to safely deliver labouring women.

I disagree, but I'm so sorry for those concerned.
Babies are being born with the virus, some pg women have the virus, you are risking other people's health.

You won't be alone, there will be a midwife and doctors should you need them. This is likely to be my dil too, if it goes on until summer, but I still say the same.

There's a woman on there refusing to give birth without her partner. What's she going to do stuff it back up there.

I can't sign it for the reasons that pp have stated. Your individual WANTS do not trump the NEEDS of the country and NHS.

Devlesko I thought the same! 🤔

Yeah, no. You might want a birth partner, the country needs a functioning health service. I have sympathy for you but you aren't in the right here.

I agree with @dustyphoenix too

Unfortunately we ALL have made sacrifices in these unprecedented times. We ALL have to rethink our idea of perfection, as our lives and circumstances have drastically changed over recent months.

Our ultimate goal is to prevent as many deaths as possible. And I don’t want any more important, vital medical staff to die, so their safety is the upmost priority.

Also, I think a blanket ban would be the safest option in a few weeks time when we near the peak amount of cases

Think about it, if there was a mandatory “do you have coronavirus symptoms?” question before birth partners were allowed inside - birth partners may lie and say no if they have symptoms, simply not to miss the birth. Imagine the destruction and devastation even 1 selfish birth partner could wreak on a maternity ward

Coronavirus patients are dying alone.

If I had to choose between a woman giving birth with medical staff present versus a coronavirus patient dying alone with the psychological harm this causes to the patient and their family, I'd be petitioning for the latter.

I get its not ideal, but we're not in ideal times. You birth alone and then take the baby home as a sign of hope and love to your family. Think about the patients dying alone and remaining alone and that's how their families will forever remember them.

Sorry OP, but I'm not signing this

This pandemic is an emergency situation with emergency rules

These rules are to reduce the risk to hospital staff
as well as to other patients, partners and their families

"now I’m being told I should just accept the fact that he’ll miss the birth of his one"

His wish to have this experience is far far less important than the need to protect staff and patients

A partner doesn't even have to lie:

He might not realise he has CV if it's in the early days, but he would still be infectious

I don't agree with this petition. And I'm one of the ones likely to be having to give birth alone in a few weeks' time. It's really crap but necessary.

I agree with the policy. This isn't being introduced for the fun of it, it's to keep patients and staff safe.

We should all be doing everything we can to support the NHS.

Nope, I can’t sign it as it’s inaccurate. Maybe you’d like to get a petition up for all the people who are currently on life support who can’t have their loved ones by their side, and may be dying alone. Now that’s one I would sign!

I won't sign. Trpidation, disappointment or anxiety because your partner isn't at the birth is a temporary state. Death is permanent.
Signing is tantamount to saying that having extra (virus spreading?) visitors in hospital trumps the safety of hospital workers and other patients. It's a life or death situation for them. Give your head a wobble.

I fear without my partner I’ll be ignored and left in pain for hours at a time. We’ve also just had the option of having a home birth taken away from us too so apologies if us heavily pregnant women are freaking out at this time...

You will be in pain, child birth is painful. You will be alone more than you might like. You will almost certainly be alive with a healthy baby at the end of it. Which is all that ultimately matters.

I can see this is coming from a place of pain and fear but it's also selfish and very very wrong.