H1N1 Policy change: Labour and Birth Visitor Protocol at Regina General Hospital

LABOUR AND BIRTH VISITOR PROTOCOL

Visitors are restricted to those individuals necessary for patient well-being or care in order to protect pregnant women, new mothers and newborns from contact with H1N1.During your stay on our unit, your visitors are restricted to a maximum of two individuals:
- your partner
- your labour coach or support person

Grandparents of the baby are welcome to attend for a post-birth visit. After the birth of your baby, you may designate two individuals (over the age of 18), other than your partner, to receive “baby ID tags” and visit you and your baby on the Mother/ Baby unit.

Individuals sick with fever, cough, sore throat, vomiting or diarrhea MAY NOT VISIT.

MOTHER-BABY UNIT PROTOCOL

Until further notice, visitors are restricted to those individuals necessary for patient well-being or care in order to protect pregnant women, new mothers, newborns and children from contact with pandemic H1N1.

Partner will receive a baby band (or a blue band if baby not delivered).

2 support people as identified by the mother: You will need to choose and give each a clear band with date.

“Visitors are restricted to those individuals necessary for patient well-being or care” which means Doulas and those providing breastfeeding support are also given a band -- they are not included in the two mom chooses. L&B have extra bands and have been instructed to give the Doula one and Mom two to give out.

No children under the age of 18 allowed, this includes siblings.

We understand this may be difficult but are concerned for the well being of all.

Any visitor without the wrist band will not be allowed entrance.

If you have questions or concerns please talk to the nurse in charge.

"Good Patient" Syndrome

Do you suffer from "Good Patient Syndrome"?? Do you have a tendency to do what the doctor says, even when it goes against your instincts, even when you've promised yourself you'd be a stronger self-advocate?

I just ran across a wonderful article on the International Caesarean Awareness Network (ICAN)'s website, which discusses using Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) to enable oneself to be more assertive when communicating with "authority figures", specifically medical staff during birth. While it is, of course, very important to maintain communication in as amicable a manner as possible, it doesn't mean that you need to allow your rights to be trampled on, especially during a rite of passage as important to both you and your baby as your baby's birth.

Here is the article

Read. Absorb. Allow yourself to become empowered . . . in the end, noone can really speak up for you but you. Good luck on your journey and peace in birth!