Wed Sep 28, 2005 1:33 am
Coo Off
Cooing at new-born babies banned - Source is BBC News Online.
A West Yorkshire hospital has banned visitors from cooing at new-born babies over fears their human rights are being breached and to reduce infection. A statement from Calderdale Royal Hospital in Halifax said staff had held an advice session to highlight the need for respect and dignity for patients. On one ward there is a doll featuring the message: "What makes you think I want to be looked at?"
But Labour MP Linda Riordan said the measures were "bureaucracy gone mad".
She said: "All mothers want people to admire their babies because all babies are beautiful. But in a case where a mother did not want to answer questions it should be up to that individual to say so."
Some new mothers have already said they are astonished by the rules which stop people asking questions about their babies or looking at them in maternity wards.
Debbie Lawson, neo-natal manager at the hospital's special care baby unit, said: "Cooing should be a thing of the past because these are little people with the same rights as you or me. We often get visitors wandering over to peer into cots but people sometimes touch or talk about the baby like they would if they were examining tins in a supermarket and that should not happen."
A spokeswoman for Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust said the advice was as much to do with reducing infection as it was upholding "rights".
In a statement she said: "Staff were wishing to highlight issues of potential confidentiality, especially for young babies and their parents in what can be emotional times. Infection control was also a key part of the message as the unit deals with very small babies with very vulnerable immune systems."
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Now, do they allow random people to come into the wards and poke babies? Because that is concering to put it mildly, but I doubt that is true. If its a method of "Don't look at the babies" its stupid!
Having said that, when people were pushing past me to get on the train (what is the darned hurry?!) I did wonder if in todays environment I could have them on assault charges
The selfishness that is exhibited on the trains by the human species saw fat bastards taking seats when old ladies needed them - then pushing past a ram packed train to get off at the first stop!!! It drove me nutts!!! All that mad dash for healthy young people to sit, whilst older ladies and gents were pushed aside, and then left standing for however long their journeys are.
Edited by - Mike G on 9/28/2005 2:36:14 AM
A West Yorkshire hospital has banned visitors from cooing at new-born babies over fears their human rights are being breached and to reduce infection. A statement from Calderdale Royal Hospital in Halifax said staff had held an advice session to highlight the need for respect and dignity for patients. On one ward there is a doll featuring the message: "What makes you think I want to be looked at?"
But Labour MP Linda Riordan said the measures were "bureaucracy gone mad".
She said: "All mothers want people to admire their babies because all babies are beautiful. But in a case where a mother did not want to answer questions it should be up to that individual to say so."
Some new mothers have already said they are astonished by the rules which stop people asking questions about their babies or looking at them in maternity wards.
Debbie Lawson, neo-natal manager at the hospital's special care baby unit, said: "Cooing should be a thing of the past because these are little people with the same rights as you or me. We often get visitors wandering over to peer into cots but people sometimes touch or talk about the baby like they would if they were examining tins in a supermarket and that should not happen."
A spokeswoman for Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust said the advice was as much to do with reducing infection as it was upholding "rights".
In a statement she said: "Staff were wishing to highlight issues of potential confidentiality, especially for young babies and their parents in what can be emotional times. Infection control was also a key part of the message as the unit deals with very small babies with very vulnerable immune systems."
-------------
Now, do they allow random people to come into the wards and poke babies? Because that is concering to put it mildly, but I doubt that is true. If its a method of "Don't look at the babies" its stupid!
Having said that, when people were pushing past me to get on the train (what is the darned hurry?!) I did wonder if in todays environment I could have them on assault charges
The selfishness that is exhibited on the trains by the human species saw fat bastards taking seats when old ladies needed them - then pushing past a ram packed train to get off at the first stop!!! It drove me nutts!!! All that mad dash for healthy young people to sit, whilst older ladies and gents were pushed aside, and then left standing for however long their journeys are.
Edited by - Mike G on 9/28/2005 2:36:14 AM
