What a horrible experience this must have been for the mother who dropped
her baby on the floor (because no one was there to help her?).

I have vague memory of hearing that at one of the very first hospitals to
achieve Baby-Friendly certification, they sawed off the legs of all the beds
on the maternity ward so even if a baby rolled out, the fall would not be
hazardous.

Hospital beds are mostly too narrow, and too high, for comfortably
co-sleeping with a baby.  They are also normally placed so that there is
carer access from both sides, rather than against a wall.

In my last hospital stay the bed was not adjustable, and I could not leave
it unaided except by turning over on my stomach and sliding out til my feet
touched the floor.  I am short, but I have never, before or since, been
subjected to such a humiliating emphasis of my insufficient height while
sleeping away from home.  (And let's not even talk about the toilets-- the
ward was built as an orthopedic ward for Nordic size folks who couldn't bend
at the hip!)

Rachel Myr
Norway

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