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MAMA-KANGAROO 014
Please note first that I had
previously been through Hell in GAK Visegradska Hospital, where I was sent
to have an abortion because the baby’s heart had stopped beating. And I had
the abortion done… for days and days… I’d been through twilight zone there.
Now, that is something I would like to comment on … Afterwards, I made a
good inquiry about who’s in charge where, who makes the decisions and who is
the chief, who was satisfied with which doctor and why… And we had our
wallet prepared, of course … - 2005 2. In which town and hospital? - Belgrade, Gradska bolnica 3. Did anything unpleasant happen to you in the hospital? What? Did anybody insult you? How? No, nothing. When I arrived for the scheduled check up – admission - delivery somewhere around the time I was due, I don’t remember exactly when, the nurse even gave me a pet on the head to help me relax while the doctor was examining me. 4. How were you addressed in the hospital? By your name and last name, or some nicknames? Which ones? - "Mother", last name, but also “honey”. The midwife (or nurse, I’m not quite familiar with the terminology) who took me to the toilet and shower treated me as if she were my own grandma, or at least the kind of grandma I’d like to have. Although I have to emphasize the fact that the treatment resembled that of the wards in a boarding school – as if we were infantile. Be a good student, make your bed well before the rounds so the doctors don’t get shocked … 5. Were there any problems with the accommodation or with the medical equipment? What sort of problems? The bed is tall, too tall, and I don’t understand why it is so. Who feels like jumping up when you can’t even sit? Since I gave birth in a special room, because my hubby was present, even the delivery bed was a cyber bed. Of course, the bathrooms are always a sore spot and it felt as if I was in the “Dead Men Walking” movie… a sanitary pad between my legs… and the room soooooo far away. The food is left much to be desired, and I may be wrong but I don’t see the reason why we can’t have it in our rooms since we already have stashes of Plazma cookies and all sorts of other things there. The chairs are made of plastic, they’re hard so only those who don’t mind can sit. And of course, there are no blinds on the windows, so the sun shines straight on your head, all the heat, the sweat, and it was October. I wonder what it’s like in the summer? 6. When did you see your child for the first time after giving birth? How often did you see him/her? Could you see him/her whenever you wanted? Since I gave birth naturally, I saw him immediately, and he was brought to my room a few hours after the delivery. I was in the Baby Friendly Program so he was with me. I remember that the first night he was screaming for hours just like the baby of my room-mate, who wasn’t feeing all that well. I went to ask the on-call nurse to take the baby away for a few hours, which she immediately did. I got fed up with the Baby Friendly Program, and why – the answer is breast feeding which translates as – the behavior of a baby that eats two times a day, being supplementary fed… 7. When did you breastfeed your baby for the first time? Were there any problems with breastfeeding? What sort of problems? Now comes the sore spot. They appeared, told us a couple a sentences about it, while standing at the door, and left. I had already prepared nipple creams, and I got (smuggled) the pump the second day, though I couldn’t squeeze a drop, not then, not later, to be frank, maybe a few milliliters. I have to emphasize the fact that I stopped a nurse and asked her to show me how to massage my breasts, and she did so (I hoped I’d need that…). Everybody kept telling me – you just breast-feed and that’s it. I was the unfortunate advocate of breast-feeding myself. I didn’t have sore nipples, though it did hurt. Due to his jaundice he suckled meagerly, and that’s the way he remained. He kept screaming in the hospital, persistently and constantly. I supposed that there was nothing there to be suckled, because I had no problems with breasts, even after he had stopped suckling, nothing happened. I was irritated the most, there and at neonatology, pediatrics and nutritionist’s and with a host of other people whom we consulted because he failed to develop, by the fact that they all specifically forbade me to feed him the formula. We had blood and urine analyses done, and a thousand other examinations, until one day my best friend visited me and shook me well, and told me he wouldn’t be the first baby to be fed formula. The next day he actually slept for the first time. I’m fascinated by the fact that they all claim that there is milk for sure, and no one even takes a look? Does it maybe show in my eyes? All in all the hospital was heaven in comparison with the hell we went through when we came back home. When I called the nutritionist and told him I’d give the baby the formula, she almost hanged up on me. I felt like a basket case, a weakling, and a bad mother for quite a while. 8. Did you ever happen to doubt the expertise of the doctors and other medical staff? When and why? No. 9. Did you ever doubt whether some of the hospital protocols and rules were justified? Which ones? Why? How would you change them? I quote: 10. Did you have to bribe anyone? If yes, whom (you can state just his/her title, without a name)? What for? How much? No way… I’m joking, of course. First I decided on a doctor who would deliver my baby and be in charge of my pregnancy. In his private practice, of course. At exorbitant prices, of course. And I immediately told him I wanted him to deliver my baby so that he wouldn’t go on a trip at that exact time. He first asked for 600 Euros for the delivery and epidural. By the time my pregnancy was coming to an end he didn’t mention anything, there was an ongoing scandal and arrests were being made at the hospital. After the delivery we handed him a little envelope with 300 Euros in it, because I gave birth at the speed of light, so that there was no time for an epidural. Now, like I said before, I’m not sorry because of that, since the man came to the hospital at the rising of the dawn, because I called him, and was there throughout the delivery, while the midwives did more than less nothing but stand around or cheer for me and keep me in an upright position. 11. Do you have any other impressions or comments that you consider important? I was admitted without
contractions. At 2 a.m. the on-call doctor administered a vaginal tablet, at
6 a.m. my water broke and at 20 to 8 the little one was looking around with
his big blue eyes. I have to say that they were all lovely, since the baby
had jaundice, that lasted almost seven days, the nurses even checked of I
was sad because they caught me once crying because I was driven mad with
desire to go home (I found the “you leave tomorrow - no, not tomorrow but
the day after” routine difficult – a reflex from the previous experience in
Visegradska). The doctor visited me and inquired about my health, and
pediatricians – neonatologists didn’t insult me when they encountered papers
on jaundice that my husband brought to me because I wanted to see what it
was all about. They even made comments on whether or not they had read them
before. - treatment at hospital - 10 P.S. I’d give Visegradska Hospital the same marks but on a negative scale.
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STORIES FROM MATERNITY WARDS Mama-Kangaroo 002
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