A few months ago, when the coronavirus pandemic began, hospitals separated the newborn from its mother when she tested positive for SARS-COV-2. But soon after, the experts changed this recommendation, showing that the mother-baby separation had more negative effects for both than the possible risk of contagion.
However, according to the Association El Parto es Nuestro, some hospitals in our country are violating this fundamental right of the mother and baby protected by the WHO, so through a statement they have publicly shown their rejection and condemnation and have announced that they will take the appropriate legal action to defend the rights of women and their babies in childbirth, even in times of COVID .
“COVID-19 is not a reason for separation between mothers and babies”
As reported by El Parto es Nuestro, in recent days he has had evidence through various communication channels of violations of rights during childbirth , both of the woman and of the newborn.
Specifically, he points to two hospitals as an example: the Puerto Real University Hospital in Cádiz and the Doctor José Molina Orosa Hospital in Lanzarote, in which he assures that they kept mother and newborn separated for hours while waiting for the results of the PCR, in against WHO recommendations.
This has led the Association to publicly denounce the facts and report that “it has already initiated the appropriate legal actions to defend the rights of women and their babies in childbirth even in times of COVID-19” , although it also admits that the Hospital de Lanzarote has responded satisfactorily to the claim, showing its willingness to avoid similar situations in the future.
#ElPartoesNuestro has learned through different communication channels that during the past week there were violations of rights during the #partum of both the woman and the newborn.
👇 pic.twitter.com/C75aDFmyBk– The Delivery is Ours (@elpartoesnuestr) September 23, 2020
from our own @sanidadgob are clear in this regard: they will remain united with mother and newborn even in the case of a mother infected by Sars Cov 2. Ex:
“Do not separate the newborn from its mother, making skin-to-skin contact after birth, also in caesarean sections”– The Delivery is Ours (@elpartoesnuestr) September 23, 2020
In these hospitals mentioned, they do not justify these protocols contrary to the recommendations of @opsoms itself and of higher regulations. El Parto es Nuestro publicly shows its rejection and condemns these violent practices and reports the initiation of legal actions.
– The Delivery is Ours (@elpartoesnuestr) September 23, 2020
In addition to these two hospitals mentioned, El Parto es Nuestro also alludes in its statement to the Hospital de Cruces de Vizcaya, which states that the following can be read in its protocol:
“Whether contagion by Covid is suspected (until the test is carried out and confirmed / ruled out) of the pregnant woman or if it is confirmed, after delivery the woman will be isolated in a separate room, this will be reviewable depending on the situation and the evolution of the woman. The newborn will be transferred to the neonatal unit or in the 5th D, the visits will be individualized according to the case “
The communiqué ends by recalling that ” any non-procedural, legitimized and justified restriction of rights implies a violation of them without further ado . No logical grounds are given for the continued restriction of rights to either women or babies, so they are not more than violations of the same, since they are not being taken by the competent persons and entities for it, nor are they attending to the comparative logic with respect to neighboring hospitals, nor offering alternatives and options to families that are less aggressive and violent “ .
Skin to skin and breastfeeding, also if the mother is positive
El Parto es Nuestro alludes to the recommendations of the WHO and the Ministry of Health on the management of the pregnant woman and the newborn in times of COVID, where it is indicated not to separate the mother from her baby , not even when it is suspected or the contagion of this is confirmed.
But in addition to non-separation and skin-to-skin – also in the case of cesarean sections – the Association recalls the WHO recommendations for a safe and positive birth experience, which include:
- Be treated with respect and dignity
- Be accompanied by a person of your choice during the delivery
- Clear communication from maternity service staff
- Appropriate pain relief strategies
- Mobility in labor, if possible, and choice of delivery position
- Delayed clamping of the umbilical cord, to promote the development of the baby’s immune system
Likewise, they insist on the importance that mothers who wish to choose to breastfeed their babies can do so early, promoting direct and early contact even when the woman is positive for COVID-19.
“Obviating the multiple psycho-emotional and physical benefits for both the woman and the baby, of practices such as the accompaniment in childbirth in all its phases, allowing skin to skin or promoting bonding, attachment and breastfeeding even in infected women by Covid-19, they cause unnecessary stress on women that positions them and predisposes them to a situation of even greater vulnerability “- reads the statement.
Restrictions on accompanying pregnant women and hospitalized babies, other violated rights
According to the Association, one of the rights of the pregnant woman that is being violated the most during this pandemic is the right to accompaniment. Not surprisingly, at the beginning of the health crisis we echoed the delivery protocols of some Communities that prevented the pregnant woman from being accompanied during dilation and in the delivery room.
They also highlight a violation of the right of the baby admitted to Neonatology to be accompanied by their parents:
“Regarding the restrictions for the accompaniment of minors in Neonatology by their mother, father, guardians, we are forced to remember the European Charter for Hospitalized Children in the first place, and secondly, that visits are being unjustifiably reduced to strict and inappropriate schedules .
“The right of the child to be accompanied is a fundamental right that in order to restrict or limit it will require extreme procedure, legitimation, justification and justification, which of course does not exist right now nor have they been taking place in the past month of May, and even April “- they affirm
Via | Delivery is Ours
In Babies and More | Pregnancy and childbirth in times of coronavirus: two gynecologists clarify all your doubts, why pregnant women should wear a mask in the delivery room even if their PCR has been negative
