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MAMA-KANGAROO 071
I gave birth the first time in 2003 at the OB/GYN Clinic “Narodni Front”. Since I was very well connected (I knew the chief physician there) and since I insisted on him delivering my baby and with epidural, we had agreed that I should come in on my due date, since he would be on call that day. My best friend had delivered two of her children there, so she gave me a very detailed description of all things to come as soon as I am past the entrance: take the corridor on the right, admittance desk, then shaving and the enema. .. I knew all the details, so much so that I wore a special night gown with a pocket so I would have a place to put the toilet paper and soap. Then they gave me a vaginal tablet so I had to stay still for a while, then my amniotic membrane was ruptured and I was given an epidural. After that, just waiting. All of this was taking place between 7am and 7pm, but no problems there at all… the midwives were OK. The doctor was there for the last hour, which meant a lot me as a moral support, but it was the midwife that actually did all the hard work. I must stress that I wasn’t in pain, therefore, I wasn’t screaming so I didn’t give them a reason the be unpleasant to me. The second time, I gave birth in 2007, exactly one year ago, the same hospital… As before, we had an agreement for the day my doctor was on call and for the epidural, but my little girl had decided to rush things. She arrived two days too early but all it took was one phone call for the doctors on duty that day to be infirmed whose patient I was. Everything unraveled very fast this time – in two and a half hours I was in, had the baby and was out. Everything was quick and painless, as before, because I was lucky enough to get the best (as I was told later) anesthesiologist (I had paid for the epidural beforehand and arrived with an invoice). I can only say nice things for all the nurses and midwives that were there. I even got a new bed in the delivery cubicle – with an adjustable head elevation. All right!!! And now for the plot twist – since the maternity ward was crowded, they moved us to the fertility ward (I gave birth at 9.30 pm and I was moved there at 3 pm the next day) which means I hadn’t seen my baby in 17 hours and I COULD NOT BREASTFEED HER!!!! I had an episiotomy the first time around so I really enjoyed jumping on beds that were too high for me. Luckily, I escaped this blessing the second time… I used to joke about the morning rounds after my first stay at the hospital, but nothing had changed since then. A nurse would barge into the room at the crack of dawn (the cleaning ladies did the same thing but two hours earlier, without any regard for the women that had just given birth and maybe managed half an hour of sleep, not to mention the babies…) slamming the doors, turning the lights on and telling us to let some air in and make the beds before the rounds!? The first time when this happened I was stunned by their atrocious behaviour, but the second time around I couldn’t not tell them that they are there because of us, as are the doctors and that I hope that they care more about our health and that of our babies than about the perfectly made beds… I don’t even want to go into the way they peaked (I wouldn’t call that examination) into our private parts without panties (God forbid they should find you with the net panties on!!!). Or how they removed the sanitary towels with forceps that looked like barbecue equipment.!!! Of course I was reported to the head nurse which showed up later to give me a nice lecture. The bathrooms were always flooded because, apparently, the illiterate and uncivilized women were disposing of their sanitary towels into the toilet bowl instead of the basket. The showering cubicles had no hook to hang your towel or the bathrobe, there were no soap holders. I would put my panties into the pocket of my sleeping gown, then put this around my neck. The new sanitary towel goes into a toilet paper roll which I then hold under my chin while I shower. While doing all this, I am picking up the shower gel from the floor, you’d think I graduated from a juggling school...At least there was hot water… The lactation nurse came to the door once, asked the “mommies” if we had any problems, if we had kids already, if we had breastfed them and left without much ado. ..We used our intuition to make out ordinary nurses from the pediatric ones. They would get very offended if we couldn’t make the distinction. The babies were bathed in the sinks, wrapped like loaves of bread (why, why?). There is no schedule, just as soon as the babies are bathed, dressed, fed and asleep, it would be time for the rounds… With that done and the babies asleep again, here comes the nurse for the vaccination, to draw your baby’s blood or do something else equally horrible to your child without ever felling the need to explain what she is doing, when the results are due and what if… And all of us, Mothers Courage, put up with all this for a higher cause and can’t wait to be released home! There are no visiting hours in the Baby Friendly program for understandable reasons, but apparently, I was the only idiot there to tell Dad not to come because it wasn’t allowed! Luckily, both of my deliveries went fine and the babies were healthy, so I was able to forget all the nasty things that had happened and just remember the nice ones. But, I can’t begin to imagine how all of this must seem to a woman that’s had complications at birth so her life or that of her baby’s is hanging by the thread… I am 100% behind you, I signed the petition and sent it to all the women I know!!! It was about time somebody said these things out loud!!
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STORIES FROM MATERNITY WARDS Mama-Kangaroo 002
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