As one whose children were only allowed to visit for one hour twice a week 
when I was hospitalized for 6 weeks in  for a high-risk pregnancy in 
England, many years ago, I always campaigned for some sort of prioritization 
in organizing visiting hours: partner and children first and unrestricted, 
then close family and lastly miscellaneous friends, neighbours and work 
colleagues.  However not every new mother welcomes her mother as much as she 
would like a visit from her best friend, after all family relationships are 
so variable.

Anyone who has worked or visited in an Israeli hospital may well compare the 
wards to Grand Central Terminal.
There is unrestricted visiting from morning to lunchtime, then a two-hour 
nap-time during which the mother in the next bed makes all her phone calls, 
cleaners come in to empty trash cans, and somebody`s mother-in-law has 
persuaded the guard on the door that as she has travelled at least 50 km to 
get there she must be allowed in - with extended family bearing picnic 
boxes, pizza and falafel!

The problem is that with chronic staff shortages, if a new mother (or any 
other patient for that matter) does not have a family member or friend with 
her most of the time, she does not get the necessary assistance for basic 
needs.
Most women are very pleased to get home as soon as possible.
In prenatal class, we discuss how to get breastfeeding started in this 
unrestful atmosphere and as most hospitals have a designated breastfeeding 
room providing privacy, a water cooler, comfortable chairs and cushions, I 
advise the women to escape there when their own room is too noisy or crowded 
even with their own visitors.
But occasionally I hear a mother say that she didn`t really breastfeed 
properly in the hospital because she had so many visitors and did not feel 
comfortable about leaving them.
But that is obviously a deeper problem because when they get home, they 
don`t want to breastfeed in the living room when there are visitors and 
don`t feel good about escaping to the bedroom....and so it goes on.
Wendy Blumfield
NCT UK Trained Prenatal Tutor Teacher/Breastfeeding Counsellor
Israel

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Subject: LACTNET Digest - 23 Aug 2012 (#2012-632)

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