> << Occasionally the courts get involved and take custody of the
> child away
> from
> the parents, but this is extremely rare and usually only for very
> complicated and involved situations -- certainly not because the
> parents of
> a newborn say "No thanks" to a blood sugar check. >>
>
> Kathy, I would like to be confident that custody wouldn't be taken
> away from
> parents asserting their rights as you did when Alex was born. I
> can't point
> to case studies to justify fearing otherwise, but I do.
>
> I would like to hear from some of you folks who work in hospitals,
> especially
> those that are (much) less than baby friendly. How far from the
> common
> culture can parents dare to stray without risking (temporary)
> custody? Does
> their socio-economic status matter? Is there luck involved (which
> head nurse
> is on duty?) I thought I learned in the past that one of the
> routine
> observations made by medical staff was an assessment of parental
> bonding and
> skill, is this accurate? What if the staff's assessment is that the
> parents
> are "whacko"? Does child protective services perform objective
> assessment or
> are HCPs' opinions given much weight?
>
> Elaine Ziska
> Jackson, MS
Elaine,
Social Workers are so busy with the real problems, babies born to drug
abusers, women who really need intervention because of poor support
systems, etc., they don't have the time to be checking on every mother
who refuses a blood sugar test for their baby. I think it is a bigger
problem that mother's become so frightened by all of this medical jargon
that they are afraid to refuse tests for many reasons. If a baby has a
blood sugar of 9 then something has to be done to see why. This should
be explained by a physician, not the nurse and then an informed decision
can be made. Most mothers are so worried about the baby that they just
go along with what ever they are told to do without really understanding.
Yes, feed the baby first at the breast, but what if the baby won't take
the breast. If the blood sugar is 35-40, we would not be as worried
because we use 40 as our marker. I say feed the baby recheck the blood
sugar after the baby eats. Given that this procedure usually works that
is what we have written in our drs orders. Blood sugar < 40 feed infant
(breastfeed if infant is breastfeeding) and recheck blood sugar 1/2 to 1
hour after feeding. We do not routinely check all babies either. We
only check babies <2500 gms and >4000 gms, babies that have diabetic
mothers (gestational and IDDM). They are at risk for lower blood sugars.
I agree that many mothers are afraid that their baby will be taken away
from them if they don't do everything they are told to do. I have had
mothers admit that to me. Usually we can work it out and not do the
"unnecessay" tests and remember patient's rights are important too. Hope
this helps. Sorry it is so long.
Thank you,
Darlene Breed, BSN, RN, IBCLC
Coordinator, Milk Bank & Breastfeeding Center, Worcester, MA (USA)
Treasurer, Human Milk Bank Association of North America (HMBANA)
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