I had plans for the launch of this blog right about now… but that was before this Covid-19 global pandemic. Still, if there is one universal truth about doulas, it’s that we are used to adapting to the unpredictability of life. Since we never know when our client is going to go into labor - what will be interrupted, what will have to be rescheduled, postponed or canceled - we know how to do unpredictable.
So - Some thoughts about the importance of “visitors” to birth-givers in the hospital setting.
When Covid-19 cases started rising exponentially in the USA in March, hospitals quickly decided to exclude all visitors. This decision was made in the midst of chaos and panic with a laser focus on infection control, because the immediate concern was preventing the spread of the virus in the hospitals, especially among the staff, nurses and doctors who were (and still are) risking their lives daily to save ours. We know that there wasn’t enough personal protective equipment (PPE) stockpiled to prepare for the sudden surge in need. Thus, without adequate PPE, other measures HAD to be taken to ensure our medical professionals could continue to do the work of attending to sick, and highly contagious patients. And when visitors were restricted, infection rates among these professionals immediately declined.
But when visitors were banned, did we throw out the proverbial baby with the bath water?
So - Some thoughts about the importance of “visitors” to birth-givers in the hospital setting.
When Covid-19 cases started rising exponentially in the USA in March, hospitals quickly decided to exclude all visitors. This decision was made in the midst of chaos and panic with a laser focus on infection control, because the immediate concern was preventing the spread of the virus in the hospitals, especially among the staff, nurses and doctors who were (and still are) risking their lives daily to save ours. We know that there wasn’t enough personal protective equipment (PPE) stockpiled to prepare for the sudden surge in need. Thus, without adequate PPE, other measures HAD to be taken to ensure our medical professionals could continue to do the work of attending to sick, and highly contagious patients. And when visitors were restricted, infection rates among these professionals immediately declined.
But when visitors were banned, did we throw out the proverbial baby with the bath water?
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